Snider wide receiver Drew Sims will play college football at the University of Mount Union; a private school in Alliance, Ohio. Sims announced his commitment today (May 6th) in a Twitter post. He plans to major in Sports Management. The Purple Raiders are in Division III of the NCAA and have won 13 national championships.
“Obviously, they’re really known for being a prestigious program in football,” Sims said. “But that’s not only it. Me and my family felt like it was the best option for me because they have one of the top Sports Management classes in the nation. That was a pretty good thing for me and my family.”
“I’m certainly happy for [Drew]. It’s a goal that he’s had for a long time to continue his education and being able to play football in college,” Snider head coach Kurt Tippmann said. “He’s worked extremely hard to put himself in this position, and not only is he gonna be able to realize that dream, but [he will do so] at a place that arguably is the best Division III program in the country.”
Another reason Sims chose to go Mount Union was that it’s less than four hours away from Fort Wayne. Though Sims will not be going to college in the Fort Wayne area, he can make a one-day drive back to Fort Wayne at those times when he does go home to visit.
“Obviously, I want to come back as much as I can to see my family, with me having a big family; a lot of siblings and two loving parents, and a lot of family here in Fort Wayne,” Sims said. “[Mount Union is] a great school, and the thing…that really sold me is that it’s a day drive.”
Sims got to visit Mount Union twice. He visited once with his family and then went on another visit with Snider teammates JD Wells and Jalen Wiggins. Sims was impressed by multiple aspects of the school; including the coaching staff. but was also impressed by the surrounding community.
“The coaching staff, they really care for you there,” Sims said. “They really emphasize [the concept of being a] student-athlete; that you’re not going to get special treatment here because you’re an athlete. And it’s just all-around a great community. It’s a small town, they said [with] about 25,000 [people], and all of them love Mount Union football and everything they have to offer. It’s a really good community they love everybody there. I just felt like I wanted to be a part of that.”
Mount Union is coached by Geoff Dartt. Dartt is entering his first season as the Purple Raiders’ head coach. He is a Mount Union alum and has served two stints as the team’s offensive coordinator.
“He’s a really good person. The players at Mount Union, they say he’s a really good coach as well. He’s a really down-to-earth guy,” Sims said. “That was just a really cool experience I had there. The bond that he had with my parents, me, and all the players there, it’s pretty incredible.”
At Snider, Sims was coached by a more experienced head coach. This past football season was Kurt Tippmann’s eleventh year as the Panthers’ head coach. Sims gives Tippmann a great deal of credit for helping him develop as an athlete and as a person.
“He always preached about us doing our best, and how all of our decisions have consequences,” Sims said. “I’m forever thankful for all the life skills he’s taught me and my teammates. We’re going to always carry that until the day we’re not on this earth anymore.”
At Snider, Sims was a wide receiver. He may play that position, as well as tight end at Mount Union. He spent his freshman year of high school at Concordia before transferring to Snider, where he played the next three seasons.
“He grew tremendously over his three years with us,” Tippmann said. “He’s a big-bodied big target and has very good hands, does a very nice job going up and getting the ball, catching the ball. He really is a guy that has worked hard at playing receiver, and put in a lot of time outside of practices and offseason things. He just continues to put in work to try to make himself a better receiver. That’s been his goal, and he’s really developed over the course of time and matured, and we’re proud of his accomplishments.”
