Cleveland excited to get back on field for MSU
Through all the troubles Mississippi State's secondary endured last season, cornerback Tolando Cleveland could only stand helplessly and watch.
South Alabama upset MSU with nearly 300 passing yards in the season opener. Later in the year, Samford threw for 468 yards. In all, six opponents passed for 285 yards or more in 2016 and opponents averaged 282 yards through the air.
Not a single one of those yards can be hung on Cleveland's shoulders.
Cleveland went into last year expected to start at corner. That all came to a crashing halt in the middle of preseason training camp when he tore the ACL in his left knee.
“It put me in a bad mind frame,” Cleveland recalled. “(In) my state of mind, I was a little depressed that I couldn't get out there and help the guys out, especially with that (expected to be) my last year and I had a lot planned for myself and I had a lot of goals. So it definitely hurt me a lot.”
Fast forward a year and here is Cleveland ready for a mulligan. He's healthy again. He has gotten a medical redshirt and a redo on his senior season.
To say he's excited about that is an understatement.
“It feels great to be back on the field, back in action and on the field with my family and back going,” Cleveland said.
Cleveland isn't the only one that is pumped. Head coach Dan Mullen is too.
Mississippi State boasts talent in the secondary, but none of those individuals has Cleveland's resume. That's one reason why Mullen says Cleveland's return to the field this season is so important.
“To a lot of our fan base, 2014 (when MSU rose to No. 1 in the country) doesn't seem that long ago, but not many people who played in games that season are still here,” Mullen said. “(Cleveland) is one that did play in a lot of those games. He has played against Top 10 teams. When he speaks, guys listen because he has that experience.”
Aside from Cleveland's background, he has also proven to be quite productive when healthy. Cleveland has played in 38 games during his Bulldog career and recorded 82 tackles, including seven tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Cleveland has also shown a nose for the football as he's forced three fumbles, recovered two, picked off two passes and broken up 11 throws.
Now that he's healthy again, Cleveland hopes to add to those totals. He's determined to play his part to improve MSU's secondary from a year ago and hopefully help State shock the college football world.
“I want to be the best secondary in the nation and the best defense in the nation,” Cleveland said. “That is our goal and my main goal. Of course I have personal things, but my main goal and my main thing I am worried about is getting us to an SEC Championship by being the best defense in the nation.”
It's a lofty goal for sure, but it's one that Cleveland can finally play an active role in trying to achieve again. Cleveland doesn't hold back when he talks of how trying last season was for him as he sat out, yet he's also honest that it made him appreciate the game of football more than ever before.
Cleveland had no plans for last season to be derailed for him, but since it was, he says he has made the most of the situation. That can only be good news for MSU moving forward.
“I got a chance to really sit there and think about how I play the game,” Cleveland said. “I feel like I've grown a lot as an athlete and as a player. I can read the defense and now, I read offenses differently. I don't want to say it's like on a pro level, but it's no longer like I am going out there and just playing. During that time watching film and studying tape, I kinda know things now that allowed me to build. Hopefully I became a better overall player during this time.”