Report: Tennessee hiring Cincinnati's De'Rail Sims as running backs coach

Tennessee is hiring Cincinnati’s De’Rail Sims as its next running backs coach, per Volquest. Sims only spent one season with the Bearcats.

Under Sims’ guidance, Cincinnati boasted the No. 5 rushing offense in the nation last season, averaging 217.1 rushing yards per game. For reference, Tennessee averaged 204.8 rushing yards per game, the ninth-most in the country.

Under Sims’ tutelage, junior running back Corey Kiner had a career year last fall, exploding for 1,047 yards for the 20th 1,000-yard season in program history and the 16th-best mark ever for a Bearcat.

Cincinnati rushed for more than 200 yards nine times in 12 games. UC’s top three running backs – Kiner, senior Ryan Montgomery and sophomore Myles Montgomery combined to rush for 1,804 yards on 312 carries for an outstanding 5.8 yards per rush average.

Sims replaces Jerry Mack, who left to join the Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL. Sims will inherit a running back room with junior Dylan Sampson, sophomore Cam Seldon, redshirt freshman Khalifa Keith, early enrollee Peyton Lewis and local product Desean Bishop.

Sims isn’t a stranger to Tennessee. Sims was the running backs coach and video coordinator at Carson-Newman in Jefferson City, Tenn. in 2012, guiding the Eagles to a 9-3 record and the NCAA II playoffs before finishing the campaign with a nation-best 380.0 yard rushing average.

From there, Sims spent three seasons at Western Carolina (2013-15) as the Catamounts’ running backs coach and director of player development. Following his stint with West Carolina, Sims coaches at James Madison.

Sims coached the Dukes for three seasons. His teams combined for a 28-2 record, winning the FCS National Championship in 2016 and finishing runner-up in 2017.  Sims oversaw a rushing attack that ranked fourth nationally in rushing touchdowns (108) and sixth in rushing yards (9,422) over three years.

Sims spent one season at East Carolina before accepting an offer to become Louisville’s running backs coach. He led the unit from 2021-22. Louisville ranked second in the ACC and in the national Top 25 in rushing in both 2022 and 2021.

Now, De’Rail Sims is at his latest stop in Knoxville, Tenn. The Volunteers have high hopes for next season after finishing with a 9-4 record in the 2023 campaign. Tennessee’s offense finished the season strong, dominating Iowa 35-0 in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. It was only the third last season Iowa gave up 20 or more points.