Recent DL offer Chace Sims recaps Texas visit, talks favorites

Chace Sims is a fairly new offer for the Texas Longhorns, with new UT defensive line coach Kenny Baker extending a scholarship opportunity back in March. Sims was recently in Austin for an unofficial visit, and he’s planning to return for the Orange-White game on Saturday. The first trip, on April 6, made a strong impression on the Richmond Randle product, including getting to watch Texas go through a spring scrimmage.

“The visit went great. I really loved it,” Sims said. “Watching Kenny Baker coach, he’s hands-on, from (individual) to team. It was just great.”

Since offering, Baker and Sims have stayed in close contact and the two parties are starting to develop a strong relationship.

“It’s great. Coach Baker, he hits me up almost every week,” Sims said. “He checks up on me. We just talk about football, things outside of football. He’s great.”

The 6-3, 300-pound hasn’t dropped an official list of favorites, but does have a handful of schools that have his attention. Texas is in that top group.

“UT is top-5 for sure. SMU is in there, Texas Tech is in there and I would say Washington,” Sims said.

As for what has the Longhorns in the mix for Sims, he says it’s about the relationships with the UT coaches and players, and it doesn’t hurt that Texas has two defensive tackles that are going to be high selections in the upcoming NFL Draft.

“Just the culture and how they treat their players. They develop a lot of really good defensive linemen and I can really see myself coming in and making a huge impact,” Sims said.

With summer official visits on tap, Sims could be a guy who decides before his senior season begins, but he says he’s taking things at a fairly slow pace for right now. An opportunity for early playing time will be a factor in his decision.

“I’m really trying to take my time with this recruiting process and really narrow it down to which schools I want to go to and spend the next four years, or maybe three,” he said.

Sims is ranked as a three-star prospect by Rivals.com.