Landon Sims Defies Odds, Lands Back-Up QB Role

LARAMIE -- Admittedly, a faint smirk flashed as he strolled to the line.

Landon Sims knew what was coming. So did his intended target.

The sophomore signal caller clapped his hands together, reeled in the shotgun snap and faked the inside handoff. His eyes kept the safety in the middle of the field, right where he wanted him.

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Maneuvering in a perfect pocket -- with the footwork to match -- the redhead from south Alabama quickly peered to his right before heaving a dart down the east sideline inside War Memorial Stadium. Bricen Brantley hauled in the picturesque pass with room to spare after juking cornerback Dainsus Miller out of his shoes with an alluring double move.

The 6-foot-3 wideout they call "Slim" cruised into the end zone untouched, capping the 58-yard scoring strike.

"You're going deep," Sims said Monday with his unmistakable southern accent, beaming once again. "It's always fun. You see a matchup out there with him, you really like it. You just let him fly and he goes and gets it."

"I love Landon, too," Brantley added last Thursday during that post-scrimmage press conference. "I really love all the quarterbacks."

Connections like this don't just happen by chance.

Blurry-eyed hours in the film room, coupled with bonds assembled inside this very building and out, lead to success between the white stripes, Sims added. It's that work ethic that demanded Jay Sawvel's attention almost immediately after the East Central Community College (Miss.) transfer signed on the dotted line last January.

Consistency throughout the offseason has now landed him the back-up role, heading into the Cowboys' Week 1 matchup with Akron.

"Yeah, I think so," Wyoming's head coach said when asked if he trusts Sims to lead this offense if starter Kaden Anderson is unavailable. "Landon has done a lot of really good things. The thing that I've been impressed with the most, he's a far better athlete than what I would have initially guessed. He has a good arm."

Sawvel again mentioned that touchdown toss to Brantley as an example.

"That was a beautiful throw," he added, eyebrows raised.

Jay Johnson, without hesitation, said Sims has earned these valuable reps with the second team. Gage Brook will be the third option. Gillette's Mason Drube, the prized recruit of the 2025 class, has also impressed. He's the future.

"Landon has come on board and is really growing and learning," the second-year offensive coordinator added. "I've been very, very pleased with him."

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Sims ended up in this place, more than 1,500 miles from his hometown, via an unexpected social-media message. It was from Johnson. His words were brief and to the point, like the man himself: If you're still searching for your landing spot, call me.

He did.

Though Sims was en route to visit another school, by week's end, he was in Laramie on an official visit. Just two days later, he added, his bags were packed and he was headed out west.

He wasn't sure this opportunity would ever come. There were nibbles from other FBS programs, but none of them stayed on the hook. Though he threw for 1,760 yards and 13 touchdowns last fall -- not to mention completing nearly 60% of his attempts -- he was likely viewed as damaged goods.

Sims suffered a pair of torn ACL's, both in his left knee, during his first two years at the JuCo level. He had no film to share, appearing in just five games total. Scars, on the other hand, are plentiful.

The first one happened when a lineman landed near his feet just as he planted to throw.

"The bottom half goes back, top half goes forward," he said. "It was just a crazy thing."

The latter occurred when he bounced off a would-be tackle and planted wrong as he attempted to regain his balance.

The physical pain was severe. The mental anguish was agonizing.

Anderson, who also suffered a pair of similar season-ending ligament injuries during his high school career -- both in his right knee -- has served as a sounding board for him, Sims said, though the two prefer not to rehash those long, forgettable days that quickly turned into months then years.

Sims, also like Anderson, said he never questioned whether he wanted to play again, but the monotony of those grueling daily rehab sessions were, at times, too much to handle.

Was it all really worth it? he would ask himself.

Was he ready to give it his all?

That was a question lofted in his direction from physical therapist, Candice Keene.

"She brought me into the office and said, 'Hey, if you don't want to be here, that's fine, but listen, if this is what you want to do, we have to get to work,'" Sims said, recalling that pivotal moment inside the training facility at the University of West Alabama. "They just put it to me simply and forward. From then on, I was really good. They really helped me throughout the whole process."

That wasn't the first time stern advice got Sims back on track.

In middle school, confessedly, he wasn't taking the game as seriously as he should. Again the inquiry came: How bad do you want it? This time it was his future offensive coordinator asking. He also goes by Michael Sims -- or dad.

"If this is what you want to do, then let's go," he remembers that honest conversation playing out. "If not, go get a job. We can do something else. He said, 'I'm not going to sit here and just watch you not try as hard as so and so.'

"... My dad, we really have a great relationship. He really taught me everything I know."

Sims said it's an honor to have the full belief of his coaches. Like his trainer and father, he added, the staff has been straightforward with him since the day he arrived on campus.

In case of emergency, break glass. Sawvel said that's why Sims is here.

He knows it, too.

"You know, it means a whole lot, because I have a ton of respect for them. They are great guys and I love them," Sims said. "On top of that, though, I hope nothing happens to Kaden. I hope he has the best year possible. I hope he does great things this year.

"I'm here. I'm supporting Kaden."

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