Sims, Holloway no longer Bulldogs

By Shawn Wansley, sports@laurelleadercall.com

January 19, 2007 10:27 am

— A pair of Mississippi State University football commitments for the past two years will not be playing for the Bulldogs and Jones Junior College head coach Eddie Pierce is not happy about it.
According to scout.com and the Wednesday edition of Jackson’s Clarion-Ledger, Mississippi St. has rescinded scholarship offers to JCJC linebacker Archie Sims and defensive end Tim Holloway.
“They called me and Tim yesterday (Wednesday) and said that we no longer had scholarships,” said Sims in an interview posted on scout.com.
Pierce, who just completed his first year as head coach of the Bulldogs, is furious about the way things have transpired in recent days.
The players told the Clarion-Ledger that Mississippi State assistant coach Melvin Smith called them and told them since they did not graduate in December, they were no longer being offered.
“I called up there to Mississippi State during the middle of our season and told them Archie and Tim would probably not graduate in December,” said Pierce on Thursday afternoon. “They did not say anything about that. I had no idea about this until yesterday when Melvin Smith called us and told us they no longer had scholarships.
“I called Coach (Sylvester) Croom yesterday and (assistant) Coach (Rocky) Felker called me back this morning. He told me that it’s a business and that’s just the way it goes sometimes. This makes me sick to my stomach and I have lost all respect in the world for Mississippi State.
“I admit that Mississippi State had wanted the kids to graduate in December and they did not. But they really did these kids the wrong way. They could have said something much earlier.”
Sims, a 6-foot, 215-pound linebacker from West Jones, and Holloway, a 6-foot-3, 250-pound defensive end from Seminary, both signed with Mississippi State after their 2004 senior season of high school football. Both players did not meet NCAA academic requirements and enrolled at JCJC.
Sims, the Leader-Call’s Jones County Player of the Year in 2004, and Holloway both started for the Bobcats the past two years.
Pierce, a Leakesville native who coached at Mississippi State in the early 1990s, said another Jones player, defensive end Rashad Rousell, was in the same boat as Sims and Holloway.
“Rashad had signed with West Virginia,” he said. “I called Coach (Rich) Rodriguez in October and told him it looked like Rashad would not graduate in December. He told me they could not take him if that was the case. He was honest with me and Mississippi State was not. Rashad has visited Troy State and we are trying to line up a visit to Miami next week.
“But with Archie and Tim, they (Mississippi State) call us just a couple of weeks from signing day and this happens. We’re trying to help them out right now.”
Pierce said he had advised another Bobcat standout, defensive back Ellis Lankster, to strongly consider Mississippi State last month. Lankster committed to Mississippi State, but has since committed to West Virginia.
“I would never tell a player where to go,” said Pierce, “but I all but told Ellis to go to Mississippi State. I had no problems with them until this.”
According to Pierce, Mississippi State called Sims and Holloway on the day after signing day in 2006 and asked them if they would publicly re-commit to the Bulldogs and both players did.
As recently as Monday of this week, Sims and Holloway both still thought they were headed to Mississippi State.
“Things are still pretty strong with Mississippi State,” said Sims in a Jan. 15 interview on scout.com. “I am supposed to be heading up there in June.”
But both players will now seek other schools.
Holloway said he would consider Houston, Troy State and Ole Miss.
Sims is unsure at this point.
“I am not sure where I am going now, but I will find some place to play,” he told scout.com.
Pierce said several schools – Southern Miss, Ole Miss and Iowa State – have been contacted about Sims. And he said calls have been placed to Florida State and West Virginia about Sims.
“I will never help the current staff at Mississippi State again with one of our players,” said Pierce. “I have lost all respect for them. If they want to recruit one of our players, it will have to go through the administration building and not through me.”
National signing day is Feb. 7.