Baylor Football fans are continuously being rewarded by witnessing an impressive off season coming off of their most spectacular season where they secured a program-high 12 wins, recorded their first-ever Big 12 Championship title game victory, had first and only New Years 6 bowl win in the CFP era, and notched 5 wins over Top 25 opponents for their most top-25 wins in a season since at least 1974! The Bears made headlines when head coach Dave Aranda announced backup QB Blake Shapen would replace former starter Gerry Bohanon early into the spring (Bohanon almost immediately transferred to South Florida following the news) and have continued their news-worthy cycle with an ongoing collection of recruits committing to playing for Aranda and co. in the next couple of years. Shortly after five current Bears were named to the 2022 Preseason All-Big 12 Team (far more than last year’s two choices), two of the five—C Jacob Gall and TE Ben Sims earned Rimington and John Mackey watch list honors. Even more Bears were added to watch lists with DL Siaki Ika and LB Dillon Doyle making the Nagurski list while Ika, OL Connor Galvin, and Gall were named to the Outland one a few days later. Today, Sims added to his watch list credentials by being named to the Wuerffel trophy list released by the All Sports Association.
According to Baylor Athletics’ Jerry Hill (papa), “Named after Danny Wuerffel, the 1996 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from the University of Florida, the Wuerffel Trophy is presented each February in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. The trophy honors college football players who serve others, celebrate their positive impact on society and inspire greater service worldwide.” Hill went on to praise Sims’ community service, writing, “Sims spends time away from the football field reading to children at local elementary schools. He also served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) from 2019-2021 and participated in the Baylor Athletics Leadership Institute in the spring of 2021.” Over the past four years, Sims totaled 1 carry for 1 yard and 1 TD as well as 47 catches for 530 yards and 9 TDs—becoming one of the most consistent “secret” weapons for the Baylor offense no matter who was behind the C.
