The Mississippi State Bulldogs are embarking on a rebuilding period following a magical 10-win season in 2014, forced to replace 18 seniors, many of whom were impactful starters, while also transitioning into a new defensive scheme under new defensive coordinator Manny Diaz.

Diaz has held this position at Mississippi State before, serving one year as the Bulldogs’ DC in 2010 before moving “up” in the coaching world to take the same position at the University of Texas.

In that one year at MSU in 2010, the Bulldogs ranked just eighth in the SEC in total defense, but that same defensive unit would eventually produce seven NFL players when all was said and done. Diaz didn’t recruit all those guys, and some of those guys were mere backups still early in their careers when Diaz was last in Starkville.

Nevertheless, he spent that year laying the foundation for Mississippi State’s defenses of the next four seasons. Which brings us to now,  just one week removed from 2015 National Signing Day.

The Bulldogs will once again need to reshape their defense to not only excel this fall, but to lay the foundation for productive defenses in the years that will follow. Diaz is the perfect man for the job.

He’s already begun building a defense that can excel for more than just one season. Many expected Leo Lewis, the top inside linebacker in the 2015 recruiting class, to either maintain his commitment to Ole Miss or flip to LSU on National Signing Day. He flipped alright, but caught many by surprise in flipping to Mississippi State, thanks in large part to Diaz’s efforts in a limited time on the recruiting trail.

Diaz surely sold Lewis on his work with current NFL stars and former Mississippi State greats K.J. Wright, Cameron Lawrence, Deontae Skinner and others, and now Mississippi State can replace Benardrick McKinney, the top inside linebacker in the 2015 NFL Draft class, with another star at the position.

Diaz will also be able to improve a secondary that was borderline embarrassing in 2014, allowing more explosive pass plays than any other defense in the SEC while allowing the most yards per game through the air of any team in the conference. In 2010, albeit a small sample size, MSU allowed 30 fewer passing yards per game and did so without any reputable names in the secondary (his two brightest stars that year were both underclassmen who would go on to produce even better numbers from the secondary in 2011-13).

Ultimately, Diaz’s work will not entirely come to fruition in 2015. But what he will do is lay a foundation for the defense to be better in 2015 and for it to continue to improve in 2016 and beyond. Like Dan Mullen, Diaz is a developer of talent, which should make him a perfect fit on the MSU staff.

Dak Prescott is back for one more ride in 2015, and between his talents, the return of De’Runnya Wilson and Mullen’s propensity for turning any tailback into a 1,000-yard rusher, the offense should be just fine.

That’s why reshaping the defense takes top priority for MSU this offseason, and why Diaz is so vital to this team’s future success.