STARKVILLE — The Mississippi State football team will be without its two projected starting cornerbacks.
Senior Tolando Cleveland (torn anterior cruciate ligament in left knee) will miss the season and senior Cedric Jiles (broken right arm) will be out for the first half of the season, MSU football coach Dan Mullen announced Wednesday.
Mullen said Cleveland is in line for a redshirt. Mullen feels Cleveland will use his redshirt and play next season. After playing as a freshman and sophomore, Jiles was redshirted as a junior in 2014. He suffered a season-ending hamstring injury in fall camp that season. He suffered a hand and foot injury as a freshman and played in three games. Jiles can seek a medical redshirt.
“We don’t visit that immediately because it’s all emotional,” Mullen said. “Guys have worked so hard to get into these situations and so hard to go play. Being a senior, an older guy and having it taken away from you like that, it’s so emotional. Let’s worry about getting healthy, getting our health back on track first, and then we’ll decide on the future a little further down the road.”
After being a reserve as a freshman and sophomore, Cleveland started 10 games last season. The Powder Springs, Georgia, native has 82 tackles (seven for loss), one-and-a-half sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, 11 pass breakups, and two interceptions.
Jiles has played in 26 games (three starts). The Clinton native has 40 tackles and five pass breakups.
Both were in line to start with Taveze Calhoun and Will Redmond moving on. Junior college transfer Lashard Durr and junior Jamoral Graham will see their roles increase. Graham began his career as a wide receiver, but he made the transition to cornerback in the spring of 2015.
The Bulldogs have sophomore Chris Rayford and redshirt freshman Chris Stamps. Mullen said some safeties could make the move over.
“Maurice Smitherman’s played corner. He’s rotating in there,” Mullen said. “Jamal Peters has got the physical tools to go out there and play some corner. The young guys have just got to step up and go play.”
Smitherman practiced at cornerback in the spring, but he moved to safety in the fall. The plan was to play him at safety and cornerback, but he could be permanently with the cornerbacks.
When asked if he was comfortable with his depth at cornerback, Mullen said he would rather have his two veterans.
“Guys know and they develop. They know if they’re getting an opportunity they better be ready to take that opportunity,” Mullen said.
Getting close
Mullen feels he will name a starting quarterback Monday.
After beginning fall camp with a four-man quarterback battle, he feels like the situation is becoming clearer.
“Guys are developing and we’re getting close to game time,” Mullen said. “At this point, who’s ready to get on the field, who’s going to give us the best opportunity to move the offense and make plays and gives us the best opportunity to win games? It’s starting to sort itself out.”
Elijah Staley transferred two weeks ago, leaving junior Damian Williams, sophomore Nick Fitzgerald, and redshirt freshman Nick Tiano to compete for the job. Former Louisville High School and East Mississippi Community College standout Wyatt Roberts also joined the program as a walk-on.
When Staley was still on the team, the quarterbacks were splitting the reps evenly at 25 percent. With him gone, they have gotten more reps, but all three are still seeing action.
Although Mullen feels like he will name a starting quarterback to begin the first game week, that doesn’t necessarily mean that person will start.
“We come out Monday and I think this guy is the starter and we transition to game plan, but they really don’t handle it well. We might have to flip and go back,” Mullen said.
Mullen wasn’t impressed with the play of his quarterbacks in the first scrimmage two weeks ago. He said they played much better last Friday in a second scrimmage.
Mullen feels like the quarterbacks have a good idea of who the starter will be, but he said none of them have separated themselves.
“There hasn’t been one that’s been above everybody else,” Mullen said. “There hasn’t been one guy that’s way up here and everyone else is down here. Everybody’s still right there, pretty close. Even in the grading, everybody’s within one percentage point of each other after 2,500 snaps. So they’re all right there.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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