Cal Football: Father-Son Reunion Complete as Jackson Sirmon Transfers to Berkeley

Inside linebacker will play for his father, Cal defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon.

Jackson Sirmon, the son of Cal defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon and an honorable mention all-Pac-12 inside linebacker at Washington last fall, announced Wednesday he is transferring to Cal.

Sirmon had a productive 2021 season, collecting a team-best 92 tackles, including a career-high 12 vs. Michigan, 11 against Arizona State and 10 vs. Oregon.

He was one of just two UW players to start all 12 games on defense this season.

Jackson Sirmon announces his decision / Twitter

The 6-foot-3, 235-pound native of Brentwood, Tennessee, had five tackles against the Bears in Washington’s 31-24 overtime victory.

Before that game (in the video at the top), Peter Sirmon talked about how proud he is of his son.

“Football’s important to him so I’m happy he’s getting the opportunity to earn that position,” Peter said. “It’s up to him to go out there and continue to perform and I know he’s excited about getting out there.”

Sirmon has played for the Huskies since 2018 but will arrive in Berkeley with two years of remaining eligibility. He played just one game his true freshman season and gained an additional year for the COVID-plagued 2020 season, when he played in just four games.

He announced entering the transfer portal last month after the conclusion of UW's disappointing 4-8 season that included the in-season firing of coach Jimmy Lake.

Dan Raley, publisher of Husky Maven in the SI network of college websites, wrote this in his story about Sirmon’s decision:

Ironically during the past season, Sirmon was lightheartedly pressed by the media (by me) about why he didn't play for his father to begin with.

Did they need separation, as linebacker and coach?

"That's a funny question," Jackson Sirmon replied with a laugh before addressing the situation further.

"I'm super tight with him and he's awesome," Sirmon said. "You know, there are some things that don't happen, it's not planned, it's not like I need any separation or anything. He'd be an amazing guy to play for and I'm sure all the guys down there love playing for him.”

So father and son will be united again, this time with no limitations on what they talk about. Back in September, Peter Sirmon, who played linebacker at Oregon and in the NFL, said conversations with his son avoided anything that touched on the Bears playing the Huskies.

“We do talk,” Peter Sirmon said at the time. “I can’t think of anything in my life or his life that would prevent us from talking. The rivalry certainly will not. I try to listen to how he thinks he’s doing . . . just Dad stuff.”

Cover photo of Jackson Sirmon by Joe Nicholson, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo