De'Rail Sims | University of Cincinnati

De’Rail Sims joins the Cincinnati staff as the running backs coach after spending the last two years coaching the same position for Scott Satterfield at Louisville.

 

A running backs coach for over a decade, Sims coached the position at East Carolina, James Madison, Western Carolina and Carson-Newman, among other stops, before joining the Cardinals in 2021. He helped JMU win the 2016 FCS national championship.

 

Louisville ranked second in the ACC and in the national Top 25 in rushing in both 2022 and 2021.

 

In 2022, Sims coached a running back group that rushed for 201 yards per game and 25 touchdowns. In 2021, Louisville finished 18th nationally with 212.9 rush yards per game, while scoring 29 touchdowns on the ground.

Before joining the UofL staff, Sims served as a running backs coach at East Carolina where he mentored AAC Rookie of the Year Rahjai Harris, who gained 628 yards and scored four touchdowns over eight games, collecting all-league honors along the way.

Before joining the ECU staff, Sims coached three seasons at James Madison where his teams combined for a 28-2 record, winning the FCS National Championship in 2016 and finishing runner-up in 2017.

In leading the Dukes to unprecedented success, Sims oversaw a rushing attack that ranked fourth nationally in rushing touchdowns (108), 6th in rushing yards (9,422) and 13th in rushing yards per game (219.1) over his three-year term. 

 

The 2016 season the Dukes rush for a CAA-record 4,125 rushing yards and held FCS ranks of second in scoring (46.7 ppg), fourth in third-down conversions (50.0 percent), fifth in rushing average (275.0 ypg) and sixth in fewest fumbles lost (4). His unit turned in 18 individual 100-yard rushing performances, including 11 by All-America selection and Sports Network FCS National Player-of-the-Year Khalid Abdullah, who finished the season with 1,809 yards and 22 TDs – both school single-season records. 

Sims spent three seasons at Western Carolina (2013-15) as the Catamounts’ running back coach and director of player development where he directed a pair of WCU running backs to All-Southern Conference honors – Detrez Newsome and Darius Ramsey. 

He earned an invitation to participate in the NCAA & NFL Coaches Academy in 2014, which is conducted by the NCAA Leadership Development staff and NFL Player Engagement and was also selected to the AFCA’s prestigious 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute. 

Prior to his time at Western Carolina, Sims was the running backs coach and video coordinator at Carson-Newman in 2012, guiding the Eagles to a 9-3 record and the NCAA II playoffs before finishing the campaign with a nation-leading 380.0 rushing average and 52 ground scores. 

Sims began his full-time collegiate coaching career at Millersville (2010) before returning to alma mater Pikeville a year later. 

The Union, S.C. native was a two-year starter at Pikeville, where he played from 2006-08 before joining the coaching staff as a student assistant (working with the linebackers). He earned a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Pikeville in 2010. 

Sims and his wife, Lauren, have two daughters, Amayah and Alivia.