STARKVILLE — When word got to Leo Lewis, he stopped to do some research.
From what Lewis heard, Todd Grantham was going to be the Mississippi State football team’s new defensive coordinator. Lewis, a linebacker, had a natural curiosity about Grantham and what scheme he planned to bring to Starkville.
He liked what he found.
“He gets after the quarterback and the secondary makes plays, and we needed that,” Lewis said.
By all accounts, all involved in MSU’s defense have liked the first stages of learning Grantham’s style of play. The Bulldogs are only three practices deep into the spring, but the reviews have been positive.
“I really feel confident about it. Everybody’s in one place, everybody’s on the same page,” Lewis said. “I think things are going pretty well.”
Said linebacker Gerri Green added, “He’s a good coach. He knows what he’s talking about, he’s experienced. Everything he says, you can see it translate. Everything he says, I believe it because I see it work.”
Grantham, who worked as defensive coordinator last season at Louisville, replaces Peter Sirmon, who left MSU to become defensive coordinator at Louisville. Grantham hopes to provide stability to a position that has changed hands from Geoff Collins to Manny Diaz to Sirmon to Grantham in recent years.
“Just roll with it. It just comes; it’s gone now, so you can’t worry about it,” Green said. “We focus on what we have on our plate. Nobody’s complaining, nobody’s moping about the past because we have games to win next season.
“(Grantham’s system) has similarities. … Defense is defense, and we just keep going.”
MSU also is adapting to new safeties coach Ron English, who has five years experience as a head coach and four more as a defensive coordinator.
Grantham and English are dealing with a defense that lost 11 seniors from the unit that played in the St. Petersburg Bowl. The Bulldogs have added a big crop of junior college signees, almost all of them defenders, to help make up for those losses.
So far, the defense is causing turnovers at an eye-popping rate.
“I think we had eight interceptions the other day and we stripped some balls,” English said. “If we continue to do that, we’ll be OK.”
Creating turnovers is a trademark of Grantham’s. All three of Grantham’s defenses at Louisville ranked in the top 25 nationally in turnovers forced. Prior to that, three of his four defenses at Georgia ranked in the top 30 in the same category.
Grantham’s track record also extends to sacks. Of Grantham’s six most recent defenses — three at Georgia and three at Louisville — the worst one ranked 40th nationally in sacks. Most of them were in the top 15.
All signs point to MSU being able to continue that trend. Defensive line coach Brian Baker said defensive linemen are playing more upfield compared to past spring practices.
“What defensive player, linebacker doesn’t want to make plays in the backfield?” Green said. “Seeing what he’s done in the past, we want that to happen in the future. That excites everybody on the defense.”
Said Lewis, “We blitz a lot. Guys (are) coming off the edge, moving from spot to spot.”
Grantham said in his introductory news conference shortly after Signing Day that he would experiment with position changes this spring. As a result, Montez Sweat and Marquiss Spencer, two defensive linemen, have worked at linebacker, while senior linebacker J.T. Gray has worked at safety. The moves are designed to help Grantham figure out who will be able to play which positions.
“By no means is the depth chart etched in stone. It’s something that’s going to move through spring,” Grantham said. “I would say it’s safe to say there’s a lot of competition across the board. We’re going to give everybody a chance to make it, show their skill set and what they can do.
“I like the camaraderie of our guys. I like the work ethic of our guys. I like the way they approach the day and go about working.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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