Sirmon hire completes Wilcox’s coaching staff

Cal head coach Justin Wilcox hired former NFL linebacker and respected defensive mind Peter Sirmon on Friday, completing the Bears’ full-time staff for the 2018 season.

Sirmon, 40, will be Cal’s associate head coach defense. He’ll be in charge of the inside linebackers, allowing Tony Tuioti to shift his attention to the defensive line in replacing Jerry Azzinaro, now the defensive coordinator at UCLA.

“Peter Sirmon shares our vision for Cal football and is an ideal fit for our coaching staff,” Wilcox said in a statement. “I have had the pleasure of working with Peter on previous staffs and understand the value he will bring. Peter is an excellent football coach, a top-notch recruiter and talented in the development of players both on and off the field.”

The ties between Wilcox and Sirmon run deep. They played together at Oregon and coached together at Tennessee (2010-11), Washington (2012-13) and USC (2014-15).

Sirmon was a fourth-round pick of the Tennessee Titans in 2000 and played 81 games with them in a seven-year career. He has been a defensive coordinator at Mississippi State and Louisville the past two seasons.

“I’m excited to be joining the University of California and reuniting with Justin Wilcox.” Sirmon said. “We are like-minded in what we believe and in our approaches to both football and life. I’m looking forward to coaching championship football at Cal and helping create the best possible experience for the student-athletes in this program both on and off the field.”