There had been speculation that defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon would be on his way out of Starkville Tuesday evening but before he officially has left Mississippi State’s program, Dan Mullen has already found his replacement.

The school officially announced the hiring of new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Todd Grantham Wednesday:

News of Grantham’s move to Starkville was first reported by Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated. According to Thamel, Peter Sirmon will not be returning to the staff in 2017.

Mississippi State will now be on its fourth defensive coordinator in as many seasons in 2017.

Grantham spent the last three seasons in Louisville helping head coach Bobby Petrino sustain the success achieved under the team’s previous coach Charlie Strong, thanks in large part to some excellent defensive play post-Teddy Bridgewater. Before his three-year ACC stint with Louisville, Grantham spent four seasons in Athens serving as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator for Mark Richt’s Georgia teams.

Following the news of Grantham’s hiring, Mississippi State issued a release, which included these comments from Mullen:

“Todd has proven to be one of the best defensive coordinators in the country this decade. He understands what it takes to build a physical and aggressive defense at the highest of levels. We are excited to welcome he and his family to Starkville.”

The release also had a statement from Grantham:

“When the opportunity to be part of Dan Mullen’s staff presented itself it was something my family and I became very excited about. Coach Mullen has built a winning program in the most challenging conference in the country. Along with our staff, I look forward to re-establishing the Bulldog defense as one of the top defenses in the country and making the fans of Mississippi State proud.”