Houston’s leading receiver Charles Sims announces he’s leaving school
Houston running back Charles Sims, arguably the team’s best offensive weapon, announced Thursday he was departing Houston, leaving his football future up in the air.
“It is with regret and deep humbling, that I am ending my playing career at the University of Houston," Sims said in a statement. "I have a lot of great memories that I will carry with me forever. I want to thank the University of Houston for allowing the opportunity to be a part of its football program.
"I don't know what my next step will be. I have one more year of eligibility, therefore I may look to play one more year of college football or I may enter the NFL Supplemental Draft later this year."
In January, Sims said he would return for his senior season, but after receiving his degree this spring, Sims started having second thoughts. Since he has graduated, Sims could transfer to another school and be eligible to play immediately.
Sims struggled with injuries last season, but was the Cougars’ leading receiver with 851 yards and 11 touchdowns. He averaged six yards per carry.
There’s no doubt Houston isn’t the team it was under former coach Kevin Sumlin. It was 5-7 in 2012 and lost to Texas State to start the season. That’s a far cry from the 13-1 record in Sumlin’s final year before moving to Texas A&M.
Even if you’re not familiar with Sims’ work on the field, you might remember that he was the subject of an April Fools’ prank coach Tony Levine played on Houston fans just a few months into his tenure. Levine issued a press release and did an in-house interview announcing Sims' move from offense to cornerback and that Houston was going to play a new 3-1-7 (three defensive linemen, one linebacker and seven defensive backs) scheme. At the time, Levine hadn’t coached a game and earned a lot of flak for moving an All-Conference USA rusher to defense.
Unfortunately for Houston fans, this is not another hoax and the Cougars will be losing one of its best players making Levine's second season another challenging one.
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