The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame announced the nominees for the 2024 C Spire Conerly Trophy on Tuesday, naming Mississippi State defensive back Issac Smith and Delta State running back Kelvin “KJ” Smith in the running for the annual award given to the best college football player in the state.
Smith, a sophomore safety, played in all 12 games as a freshman in 2023 but battled injuries before the season started. This year, he has mostly been healthy — aside from when he took a hard hit against Florida and missed the following week’s game at Texas — and he leads the Southeastern Conference with 101 tackles, averaging more than 11 tackles per game.
A former two-way star at Itawamba Agricultural High School in Fulton, Smith has moved up from a more traditional safety spot to the “star” position for the Bulldogs, a hybrid linebacker/defensive back that allows him to play up in the box and rack up tackles.
“It means a lot,” Smith said. “Growing up, I saw a bunch of big names get nominated and a lot of people win that trophy. It just goes to show that you don’t have to leave the state to play great football and be great. You can just represent your state.”
Delta State running back KJ Smith, also a Columbus native and Heritage Academy alumni, received his first nomination for the award.
Smith transferred to Delta State from Mississippi Delta Community College in 2022 and has played with the Fighting Okra for three seasons. In his senior year Smith has 736 rushing yards, 164 receiving yards and eight total touchdowns.
Smith was a member of the 2019 Heritage team that went 14-0 and won the MAIS Class 5A state championship, scoring three touchdowns on the ground in the title-game win.
“KJ is a special kid and was a joy to coach,” former Patriots head coach and current head of school Sean Harrison said of Smith. “While everyone knows he is a great athlete, most don’t know how hard he works for it. KJ is in our weight room every day when he’s home on breaks. I’m excited that he is receiving the spotlight that he deserves. We at Heritage Academy could not be more excited for him.”
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