The 2014 Alabama football team featured a couple of cast-offs in prominent roles.
First, there was Lane Kiffin, the controversial Offensive Coordinator hire by Nick Saban that offseason. The immature and brash Kiffin was a twice-fired head coach: once by the NFL's Oakland Raiders, and most recently by USC, which happened midseason and infamously on the tarmac following a Trojans loss.
Kiffin was considered almost untouchable in coaching circles. But Saban wanted someone to modernize his offense in Tuscaloosa, thinking Alabama was falling behind the times. He turned to Kiffin, who embarked on a three-year run as the OC, culminating in three consecutive SEC Championships and playoff bids, including the 2015 National Championship.
Secondly, there was Blake Sims, who started his career at Alabama in the running back room, but transitioned to QB and was considered a likely career backup. With decorated Tide QB AJ McCarron exhausting his eligibility following the 2013 season, not many expected Sims to be the heir apparent. In fact, Alabama added Florida State QB Jake Coker in the Transfer Portal, and many figured he would immediately step in as the starter in 2014.
Kiffin certainly agreed with the sentiment, and those in the know would tell you Kiffin was lobbying for Coker - or one of the young QBs like David Cornwell or Cooper Bateman - behind the scenes. But Sims won the job, embarking on a prolific season as the Tide's starting QB.
Sims threw for a then-program record 3487 yards to go along with 35 total touchdowns, leading Alabama to an SEC Championship and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. The Tide ultimately lost in the Sugar Bowl semifinal to eventual National Champion Ohio State, but Sims' play admittedly changed Kiffin's mindset, and almost certainly Saban's too.
Lane Kiffin credits Blake Sims for changing his career
Speaking at SEC Media Days, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin revealed he had recently reached out and left a message for Sims.
"I just want to thank you," Kiffin said. "You probaly don't know how much you helped my career."
Kiffin said that before Sims, he had been too hung up on pro-style QBs and that Sims' prolific season changed the way he looked at the position.
It undoubtedly changed Saban's too. Before Sims was the QB at Alabama, the Crimson Tide had three strictly pro-style pocket-passers in John Parker Wilson, Greg McElroy, and AJ McCarron.
Sims' 2014 season led Saban down a different path in recruiting QBs, ultimately leading to Jalen Hurts joining the Crimson Tide in 2016 and embarking on a dynamic run as the team's starter before being supplanted by Tua Tagovailoa, who was billed as a dual-threat QB coming out of high school in his own right.
Sims is probably not appreciated enough for his 2014 season. Alabama fans tend to forget the guys who don't win National Championships. But he bridged the gap for a year when the Crimson Tide needed it. Coker wasn't yet ready to play, and if he was forced into action a year too early, who knows how big of a hit his confidence might have taken and if he became the gamer Alabama needed in 2015 on its way to the National Championship.