Terrell Buckley
Terrell Buckley and Peter Sirmon have been on the road feverishly recruiting for Mississippi State for several weeks now.
Both coaches were officially named to Dan Mullen‘s staff on Friday afternoon in a release which defined their roles along with defensive line coach David Turner.
Sirmon will serve as defensive coordinator and coach linebackers while Buckley will work as secondary coach and recruiting coordinator. Turner has added the title of assistant head coach.
“We are excited about the dynamic additions to our staff and are grateful for what David has helped us accomplish,” Mullen said. “They are
Peter Sirmon
tremendous recruiters, teachers and leaders who will continue to raise the level of expectations of our program. They will develop our players both on and off the field, preparing them for life and do it in a way our Bulldog fans can be proud of.”
Sirmon was hired on Jan. 12 after two seasons serving as USC’s linebackers coach, recruiting coordinator and associate head coach of defense.
Sirmon has also worked at Washington, Tennessee, Central Washington and Oregon. He spent seven seasons in the NFL playing linebacker for the Tennessee Titans after concluding his college career at Oregon.
“This is a great opportunity to join coach Mullen’s staff and build a championship defense at
David Turner
Mississippi State,” Sirmon said. “It’s been exciting so far on the recruiting trail. We want to continue to build relationships and bring elite talent to Starkville. We have an exceptional core of experienced players coming back, and I am thrilled to get to know each of them.”
Sirmon replaces Manny Diaz, who left the Bulldogs after one season again to become the defensive coordinator at Miami.
Buckley arrived in Starkville on Jan. 7 from Louisville, where he worked the last two seasons on Bobby Petrino‘s staff as cornerbacks coach. He has also coached at Akron and Florida State following a 14-year career in the NFL including a Super Bowl victory in 2001.
Buckley is a native of Pascagoula, where he won an undefeated state championship in 1987.
“It’s special to be back in Mississippi and be a Mississippi State Bulldog,” Buckley said. “The opportunity to come back and work at a place where you were born and raised doesn’t come true for a lot of folks. I am blessed that it has for me. I’m excited to get to work with Coach Mullen, our staff and our players here.”
Buckley’s exact position group has not been defined as Mullen has to replace both his cornerbacks and safeties coaches. Tony Hughes took the head coaching job at Jackson State while Deshea Townsend departed to become the cornerbacks coach for the Tennessee Titans late Thursday.
“We thank Deshea for his three years of service at Mississippi State and wish him all the best as he pursues his dream of coaching in the NFL,” Mullen said. “We have begun a search for an assistant coach who is the right fit for our program.”
Turner is starting his seventh year at MSU and fifth with Mullen. He will be the lone returning defensive coach for the Bulldogs in 2016.
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