Cal Football: Washington Coaches Have Praise For Ex-Husky LB Jackson Sirmon
There are no hard feelings among the new coaching staff at Washington that linebacker Jackson Sirmon exited Seattle after last season to play his final season at Cal.
Sirmon, who played four seasons at UW, came to Berkeley to play under his father, defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon, and is the Bears’ leading tackler.
“His mind was made up,” said first-year Huskies coach Kalen DeBoer of the brief conversation he had with Sirmon before he departed. “I get it. He was going to play for his dad.
“There’s certain opportunities that are special.”
Jackson Sirmon said Saturday’s game is a little bit different than the other 11 on the Bears’ schedule.
“It’ll definitely be interesting. I don’t think I’ve played a game where I’ll be able to recognize so many people on the other side of the ball,” he said. “But during the game I’m treating it like any other opponent. There’s no . . . friendliness, I guess, during the game.”
DeBoer said the Huskies are well aware of Sirmon’s impact on the Cal defense. A year ago, Sirmon led the Huskies with 92 tackles, second-most among Pac-12 players who returned this season.
“He’s obviously very much missed in this program. I know he gave everything he had,” DeBoer said. “Gonna be a player we’ve got to be ready for this weekend.”
First-year Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb has been impressed by what he’s seen of Sirmon.
“He’s a good tackler — that’s No. 1,” Grubb said. “He’s good in between the box, from tackle to tackle. He runs downhill, he’s smart, he sees the plays develop, he knows exactly where he’s supposed to be in the fit.
“He’s a guy you can see has played a lot of ball.”
Peter Sirmon said Jackson coming to the Bay Area wasn’t something the two talked about much. It just sort of happened. Jackson said his decision to leave is no reflection on DeBoer, whom he said seems like a good man and a good coach.
“It was kind of the convergence of so many different things coming together,” he said. “It made it seem like the right time and the right decision.”
Peter Sirmon added that Jackson has been a great addition to the defense, a productive player who provides communication on the field.
Jackson said he’s learned a lot from his dad. But the chance to spend time together also has been fun.
“It’s been really neat to come in here and see him all the time. The last four years of college I didn’t see him as much and he wasn’t really able to watch my games,” Jackson said. “Now he’s able to coach me and watch my games, which is really fun.”
Peter Sirmon acknowledged it’s mostly business right now, but he knows the experience will have a lasting effect.
“In the middle of a season, there’s not a lot of enjoyable time to reflect. There’s quite a few dads on staff who every once in a while come by and say, `Hey, enjoy this time with your son.’ It is special and I am thankful for this opportunity.”
Jackson Sirmon feels the same way.
“I’m sure,” he said. “It’ll definitely be a year with a lot of stories and a lot of memories attached to it.”
Cover photo of Cal linebacker Jackson Sirmon by Darren Yamashita, USA Today
