Whether by statistics or the eye test, Mississippi State’s defense was among the worst in Division I football in 2024.
The Bulldogs ranked 118th out of 134 teams in total defense and were dead last in the SEC in several categories, notably in points allowed per game at an alarming 34.1. It was the first season since 2002 that the program recorded no wins in conference play, and a big reason why was the inability to stop the opponent from moving the ball and scoring touchdowns.
One of the few sparks of hope on the defense was Issac Smith. A junior and one of the key returners from 2024, the Itawamba AHS alum was the only defensive representative for MSU at SEC Media Days this week. Smith was the lone Bulldog named to the preseason All-SEC team on Friday, making the Third Team as a defensive back after leading the SEC in tackles with 127. He ranked seventh nationally in tackles, and was the only Power Four player to have a 20+ tackle game.
It’s not normally a good thing when your team’s leading tackler is a member of the secondary, but it reflected more than just necessity; it reflected Smith’s leadership and ability. There’s a reason he was asked to return and lead the defense, and he is embracing the responsibility.
“It meant a lot to me,” Smith said of the faith put in him by coaches. “I’ve stuck at MSU through everything because one thing that I love is loyalty, and I feel like the fans in Starkville are awesome. Feeling that feeling from the coaches, it made me want to, you know, stay and, you know, be that face that they wanted me to be.”
Though he played safety last season, Smith is also listed as a linebacker on the roster and has been a versatile player across the secondary and second level of the Bulldog defense since becoming a starter last year.
After the spring game, Smith said his role was “the same as last year, and I love it.” He was always involved in the run game, charging into the box and making plays when opposing runners inevitably broke through the front seven.
However, Smith’s position change on the roster also comes with a noticeable change in his physicality.
Last year, Smith was officially listed at 205 lbs. This year, Smith is listed at 220, and that additional bulk was evident to anyone who stood next to him in Atlanta this week.
Smith was also listed as both a linebacker and a defensive back in the nominees for preseason All-SEC, and Lebby acknowledged his versatility as a weapon.
“Issac has great position flexibility, and we’re going to be able to line him up in a bunch of different positions to create advantages,” Lebby said. “I think that’s something that is exciting for him, also exciting for us, because of the fact that we can put a lot on him. (We’re) expecting big things from him, but he’s expecting big things from himself, and that’s why he’s here. Everything you love about the game of football is Isaac Smith, and there’s not a better spokesperson for our team, for our defense, than Isaac.”
Smith gets reinforcements
As a unit, the defense can’t depend entirely on one player. Lebby and defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler made a point of addressing the front seven after a season where the depth chart was exhausted by the first conference game.
The Bulldogs brought in more than 30 transfers as well as a new defensive ends and linebackers coach, Vincent Dancy, and two former head coaches in Paul Rhoads and Mike McIntyre, to serve as senior defensive analysts. The goal is simple: stop the run, pressure the quarterback and give the ball to MSU’s offense with field position.
“Defensively for us, we want to play the way we need to play to be able to play winning football,” Lebby said. “I think that’s a huge piece of it, creating turnovers, creating negative plays, getting the ball back to the offense. That’s where we need to make a huge jump. We had to change the roster and flip the roster. I think we’re in a much better place today than we were a year ago today, and (we’re) excited about that opportunity.”
While Hutzler and the defensive coaching staff faced criticism for last year’s performance, instead of replacing them, Lebby doubled down and boosted his coordinator’s supporting cast.
Smith felt his coaches shared too much of the blame, and he is looking for his unit to take more accountability in 2025.
“Last year, I feel like a lot of the criticism got put on our coaches,” Smith said, “but I always tell the guys, the coaches can’t go out there and play for us. It’s up to us to go execute and make the plays. That’s what we didn’t do last year.”
The Bulldogs added eight defensive linemen, two linebackers and four defensive backs from the transfer portal. The unit is expected to feature many of them, in particular veteran Jalen Smith at middle linebacker and Tony Mitchell at safety, as Smith moves across the field.
While there will need to be some quick chemistry-building for the new-look unit, Smith is confident they can address the biggest problem from a year ago, execution.
“We had a lot of missed execution last year,” Smith said. “Coach Hutzler preaches it day in and day out. We lacked execution the whole season, really. Missed tackles, missed assignments, and, quite frankly, that’s why we lost a lot of games. I think we were last in about everything. Having 10 sacks, you can’t win that way. So we’ve got some guys out of the portal that’s come in and are ready to work and compete, and I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people this year defensively.”
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