Isaac Smith
Isaac Smith
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. Three seasons at Mississippi State, two different head coaches: Greg Knox and Jeff Lebby. The receipt: 13 tackles against Ole Miss — Week 14, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
Career Arc
Coaching Lineage · 2023–2025
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Greg Knox → Jeff Lebby. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jeff Lebby
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 2 · StarterR06 · Starter
Starter. Tackle volume for the position at a full-time starter's level.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Mississippi State | 64 | 14 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | Mississippi State | 127 | 46 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 3 | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Mississippi State | 15 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 206 | 66 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 6 | 1 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 10 · 2025
W 38–35
at Arkansas
11 TOT · 3 SOLO · 1 PD
Edged out Arkansas on the road in a shootout.
How he plays
Play style
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Mississippi State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Safety · Mississippi State
Returning around him
- 2 Mississippi State players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -13 net (27 in / 40 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Mississippi State · Last season: 5-8 · Talent rank #24 · 2026 recruiting class #23
DNA match
Player DNA
Box Safety
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Jaiden Woodbey’s 2022 season.
Matches Jaiden on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Christian Pierce's junior season at USC (2025).
Matches Christian on
Background
Career Honors 2025 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll 2025 All-SEC Second Team, WR (PFSN) 2025 PFSN All-American (3rd Team, S) 2025 Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List 2025 SEC Coaches Preseason All-SEC (3rd Team, DB) 2025 SEC Media Days Preseason All-SEC (3rd Team, DB) 2025 Athlon Sports Preseason All-SEC...