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Peter Sirmon: Most Pressing Issues for the New Defensive Coordinator

By Justin Strawn

Aug 30, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans coach Steve Sarkisian (left) and linebackers coach Peter Sirmon before the game against the Fresno State Bulldogs at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 30, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans coach Steve Sarkisian (left) and linebackers coach Peter Sirmon before the game against the Fresno State Bulldogs at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 24, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs defensive back Taveze Calhoun (23) celebrates after intercepting the pass intended for Kentucky Wildcats wide receiver Dorian Baker (2) during the game at Davis Wade Stadium. Mississippi State won 42-16. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 24, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs defensive back Taveze Calhoun (23) celebrates after intercepting the pass intended for Kentucky Wildcats wide receiver Dorian Baker (2) during the game at Davis Wade Stadium. Mississippi State won 42-16. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /

Replacing two senior cornerbacks

Perhaps the most daunting task facing the new defensive coordinator is figuring out what to do with the secondary. Brandon Bryant appears to have a lock on the Free Safety position, but outside of that, there is going to be a lot of room for improvement.

Will Redmond went down with a season ending injury approximately half way through the 2015 season. Redmond will be playing on Sundays, but his loss began to hurt the Bulldogs earlier than anticipated due to the injury.

Taveze Calhoun was arguably one of the most underrated players in the SEC last season. His interception numbers weren’t huge, but he typically locked down whatever receiver he was assigned to.

Tolando Cleveland and Cedric Jiles will likely have the first crack at taking their spots. Both will be seniors in 2016, but if they don’t produce, Peter Sirmon needs to look to the youth on his roster.

Cleveland was often picked on whenever he was in the game. Opposing offensive coordinators salivated when they saw number 7 on the field and quarterbacks often took advantage. Jiles played very little in 2015, so we still don’t know what we have with him.

Freshmen Maurice Smitherman, Chris Stamps, and Mark McLaurin might see significant playing time if the upperclassmen can’t get the job done. We’ll see if seniority or production wins the day for Sirmon in 2016.

Next: Show off the recruiting chops

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