Different journeys lead Lima, Sills to success at Big 12 schools
Former junior college teammates will share the gridiron once again on Saturday as Iowa State hosts sixth-ranked West Virginia.
West Virginia senior wide receiver David Sills and Iowa State redshirt junior defensive lineman Ray Lima were teammates in 2016 at El Camino College in Torrance, California and have since served as success stories and role models for junior college players looking to make it big time in Division 1 college football.
Both of these players have had both challenging and interesting paths to get to where they are now.
The journey of Sills from an eighth grade USC commit, to West Virginia, to junior college and then back to Morgantown has become a popular story in college sports, but Lima’s story is a paradox to Sills’s.
When Sills received a scholarship offer from USC and Lane Kiffin when he was 13 years old, Lima was also in middle school and even though he was seen as a leader then, he could’ve easily followed the wrong path according to El Camino head football coach, Gifford Lindheim, who visited the middle school a few years after Lima had attended it.
“I visited his middle school and they still remembered him as a leader, but sometimes he would lead in the wrong direction,” Lindheim said.
What changed for Lima?
Well, even though things wouldn’t get any easier for him from there, the Los Angeles native found motivation through his parents, whom he had a desire to make proud.
“He wasn’t the model citizen in middle school and he’s not proud of that, but I think it’s a success story because he found his way from there into the type of guy he is now,” Lindheim said.
Lima was a four-year letterman at Torrance West High School, but didn’t qualify academically to attend a four-year college. According to Dylan Montz of the Ames Tribune, an ACL injury also delayed a college football career for Lima as he then began struggle with depression with his future unknown.
That same motivation and desire to make his parents proud is what Lima used to get over the hump and eventually back on the football field.
The next stop on Lima’s journey was to El Camino in 2015 where he starred on the defensive line and emerged as one of the country’s top JUCO prospects.
A coaching shift occurred prior to the 2016 season as Lindheim took over the reins of the football program that went into a rebuild mode, but it didn’t take long for Lindheim and some of the new coaching staff members to recognize Lima’s talents and hard work.
El Camino offensive coordinator, Tim Kaub, who was brought on to Lindheim’s staff in 2016, remembers Lima completely dominating his offensive line during preseason practices, so much so that it made him look even more forward to the regular season.
“I was looking forward to seeing him do it to someone else,” Kaub said. “We could not block him. His first step was so quick, but then his follow through with his lower body strength after his first step and his technique, his attention to detail, he was unblockable. He was one of the more dominant guys I’ve ever seen in practice for sure.”
“I think it was like my third or fourth practice and watched him blow by our offensive line and I just looked at (Lindheim) and said that’s the best (defensive tackle) I’ve ever seen in person that played for me. That’s the best one I’ve ever seen,” he added.
Lindheim recalls Lima as an unselfish player and leader by example as he set the standard for others to follow.
“Ray had a posse, for as few words as he said he always had people around him,” Lindheim said. “Ray was the standard. You wanted to be strong? You hung around Ray, no one worked harder than Ray. You wanted to be good at bag drills? You followed Ray. You wanted to be good at school? Ray was a good student. He became a good student based on his work ethic. He went to tutoring.”
“He did all of the things you asked him to do in the program and you just kind of followed Ray. When Ray decided on going to Iowa State, there’s a room full of guys who came there voluntarily to congratulate him. That was really cool,” he added.
Lima’s commitment to the Cyclones all began with Iowa State being one of the first schools to recruit him. A visit to Ames in August prior to the start of the 2016 season secured a commitment from Lima to Iowa State and head coach Matt Campbell.
When Campbell sat and talked to Lindheim in his office one time, the El Camino coach understood why Lima wanted to attend Iowa State.
“After Matt walked out of my office, I was a Matt Campbell fan and will continue to be,” Lindheim said.
“Matt was an authentic person. For a guy who is a young Division 1 coach, he was confident but he wasn’t brash. He was a listener, but he wasn’t afraid to speak his mind and as a person, you’re able to connect with Matt Campbell the person. Whether it was talking about life or football or being a head coach or x’s and o’s we could talk about it and be authentic and was knowledgeable,” he added.
A 2016 season that held more promise for Lima at El Camino though was cut short due to a preseason meniscus injury. Lima could’ve returned about midway through the season, but coaches decided it was best to redshirt him so that he would have three years of eligibility remaining once he left junior college.
“Ray was frustrated with his own situation,” Lindheim said. “He was available, he was almost an assistant coach for the defensive line. He was positive, he was connected to the program and his teammates and he handled that situation as well as he possibly could.”
Despite the late recruiting pushes of numerous PAC-12 schools and a late visit to Cal before signing day that December, Lima stayed true to his commitment to the Cyclones and remained confident that the program is where he wanted to play.
“The reason he went to Iowa State was they were there first,” Kaub said. “He’s that kind of kid which is rare nowadays. Kids are always looking for the next big thing, the next big offer after one, but Ray was really loyal to the guys that wanted him from day one.”
Lima has continued to blossom at Iowa State, playing in all 13 games last season and earning Honorable mention All-Big 12 honors. He has started all five games for the Cyclones this season, tallying 14 total tackles on the year so far.
Now, Lima and Iowa State prepare to face one of its biggest challenges in West Virginia and Sills.
Sills was a newcomer during the 2016 season for El Camino and like Lima, has found success at a Big 12 school, becoming a Biletnikoff Award finalist as a member of the Mountaineers last season. He currently leads West Virginia with six touchdown receptions this season along with Gary Jennings.
“I think Ray watched him and Ray accepted him and I don’t know how close their relationship is, but there’s definitely respect between the two,” Lindheim said. “His road was different than David’s, but both of them found their way into successful programs and are tremendous people and players in their own right.”
No matter what lies ahead for these two Big 12 stars, Lindheim and Kaub are confident that they can not only find success in the NFL after college, but far beyond football itself due to their character and work ethic.
As the years go by, these two will always be an example for junior college football players to follow no matter what road someone may have go down to get to where they want to be.
“Those two guys are the guys you look at and say no matter what curveballs life throws at these guys, they’re going to be alright,” Kaub said. “As more data gets pushed out through age and fogginess of time, I’m always going to remember those two guys for sure.”
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