What’s impressive, though, is how much Dan Mullen has done to contribute to those departure numbers.
Grantham is the sixth defensive coordinator in Mullen’s nine seasons at MSU, following Carl Torbush, Manny Diaz, Geoff Collins, Chris Wilson and Sirmon. Diaz guided the defense in 2010 and again in 2015, leaving the first time for Texas and the second time for Miami.
Given Mullen’s track record and Grantham’s proclivity for seeking greener pastures, what’s the over/under on the number of years Todd stays at Mississippi State?
He made national news as Georgia’s defense coordinator in 2010 by flashing the “choke” sign to Florida punter/makeshift kicker Chas Henry before Henry nailed a 37-yard field goal to win in overtime.
Grantham laughs off that incident — and quickly points out that he won his next three against the Gators…
“He” won ’em, eh?
Aaron Murray should have sued Grantham for non-support during the 2013 season.
I have to admit I’m getting a certain amount of satisfaction out of the buyer’s remorse I’m seeing in certain quarters after Todd Grantham’s departure from Louisville. I mean, who could have ever guessed this?
University of Louisville senior starting linebacker Stacy Thomas said that the terminology related of new coordinator Peter Sirmon’s defense are such that the Cardinals are getting play calls in faster than the defense did last season.
“The play-calling, the vocabulary is brought down so we can get the plays quicker,” Thomas said after Wednesday’s spring practice. “That’s a good thing from last year about it.
“,,, We had a couple games where they would run hurry-up (offenses) and then we would have trouble getting the call and then echoing it to everybody else, so that was an issue last year. But it doesn’t seem to be an issue right now.”
Well, besides anybody who watched Grantham fail to get an eleventh defender on the field in time to stop a Chubb touchdown run in the Belk Bowl (see the 2:18 mark in the clip below for that), that is.
If the Dawgs don’t run some hurry-up against Mississippi State this year, Jim Chaney will be guilty of some serious coaching malpractice.
Louisville senior cornerback Shaq Wiggins announced on Twitter Monday afternoon that he is transferring from the Cardinals, who begin spring practice on Tuesday.
Wiggins has earned his bachelor’s degree and presumably will be eligible to play right away at a new school next season.
“I would like to thank the University of Louisville for allowing me to be apart of such a great University and football program, but I have decided to part ways and transfer else where. I am very thankful and blessed for all opportunities but this decision is for me and my family,” Wiggins posted in a series of tweets.
So where might the grass be greener for Mr. Wiggins?
A former transfer from the University of Georgia, Wiggins was close with former U of L defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, who left for the same position at Mississippi State. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Bulldogs become an option for him now if they have a scholarship available.
No, it wouldn’t. We all know Grantham loves experienced DBs and Wiggins would sure fit the bill in that department. If it happens, Mississippi State’s trip to Athens gets a little more interesting than it already is.
“From a philosophical standpoint, the number one thing that you got to do is you got to stop the run,” Grantham said. “You can’t let people run the ball on you.”
From there, as Grantham added, offenses become one-dimensional with the pass and the objective, from a defensive standpoint, is to make the quarterback’s life miserable with a pass-rush and force turnovers.
“If you do that,” Grantham said, “with the identity that we want to play with, which is fast, physical and aggressive, you’re going to be in every game.”
Also, “out of his front seven, Grantham wants physicality, size and an aggressive group that will look to create negative yardage plays.” Hey, I know of a defensive line coach out there he might want to take a look at.
Mississippi State is hiring Louisville defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, according to a source. Grantham agreed to a multi-year deal to become the next defensive coordinator in Starkville.
Current Mississippi State defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon will not return to the Bulldogs next season, according to a source.
In 2016, Grantham earned $1.3 million with the Cardinals, making him the fifth-highest-paid assistant coach in the country according to USA Today‘s salary database. Suffice to say, Grantham will be looking at some kind of bump in pay for leaving for Dan Mullen‘s MSU coaching staff; how significant remains to be seen.
Kind of amazed Mullen is able to round up that kind of jack, but whatevs.
Mississippi State, you may or may not recall, comes calling to Athens in the 2017 season, which means that anyone who’s grown nostalgic for the days when his white towel roamed the sidelines in Sanford Stadium will have a new opportunity to get his or her jollies.
