After the 2024 season concluded, Mississippi State immediately went to work to find impact defensive players from the transfer portal. The Bulldogs found success on that side of the ball and that included former Tennessee linebacker Jalen Smith. Smith earned All-SEC Freshman honors a year ago with the Volunteers and was considered one of State’s […]
After the 2024 season concluded, Mississippi State immediately went to work to find impact defensive players from the transfer portal. The Bulldogs found success on that side of the ball and that included former Tennessee linebacker Jalen Smith.
Smith earned All-SEC Freshman honors a year ago with the Volunteers and was considered one of State’s top transfer portal gets. Following Wednesday’s camp session, Smith met with the media for the first time since arriving in Starkville:
Q: How have things been different for you here?
Smith: I would say overall just team comradery. Everybody wants to see everybody win. I think we have a great locker room. Everybody wants to see the best out of everybody and everybody is pushing each other. So I would say overall just a family and team atmosphere.
Q: Where are you working in practice?
Smith: Just mike linebacker and a little bit of dime, overall. Just trying to stack days the best I can and encourage everybody to do their part. I’m doing my part, of course, and the biggest thing is playing as a team, a full brotherhood.
Q: You played against Mississippi State last year. What is different in your mind about this year’s team?
Smith: Overall, I watched a lot of film. Overall, I would say we are playing a lot faster, a lot more trust in the team. Everybody is trusting each other and doing their job and their part. Coach (Coleman) Hutzler talks to us about being 1/11, you are 1/11. If you are doing your job on every play, that is all you can do.
Q; What did the veterans here tell you about the defense?
Smith: They just told me they are going to work. If I come to work with them then they are going to accept me and that’s all I did. I came to work with those boys and just came to work with them every day and was able to earn their trust on and off the field. Somebody that can speak up and hold you accountable. But overall they just said come, work their butts off and that’s what we’ve been doing.
Q: What are some of the differences in this defense compared to the Tennessee defense?
Smith: I played a lot of good defense before. But this defense is a little different as far as overall, like I said, the brotherhood of the defense. We’ve got some great pieces. We’ve got a lot of great players, lot of great speed and their physicality and utilize their talent. Just everybody is bought in, linebackers and everybody.
Q: What other linebackers have caught your attention in camp?
Smith: I would say everybody. Everybody is doing their part. Everybody is working very hard to just earn a spot, just able to earn the right to be out there on that field whether it’s special teams, defense. Everybody is trying to go out there and earn a job and earn a spot. I think that everybody in the linebacker room wants to be great and do their part and do their job and be able go out there and play.
Q: What about the other side of the ball?
Smith: Other side of the ball, man, we got a lot of talent on that side, too. There’s a lot of talent on that side of the ball from receivers, quarterbacks, running backs, Oline, tight ends. It’s a lot of great talent. Going against those guys every day is able to push me and make me a better player each and every day. I feel like I’m able to just be a better person on and off the field just being around them.
Q: How would you describe the atmosphere at practice?
Smith: All the time I think it’s great energy just from being on the practice field, the meeting rooms, weight room. I think everybody holds that same standard of bringing that energy wherever you go, being where your feet are. Bringing energy in the weight room working hard, the meeting room. Coach Hutzler is always firing us up in the meeting room. We are always dancing, laughing, having a fun time. Football is fun at the end of the day. It’s a job but at the end of the day you gotta have that fun, for sure.
Q: When you left Tennessee, what stood out to you about Mississippi State?
Smith: I would definitely say they are going to fight. They are going to fight to the end. They are going to have some dogs. They are going to talk crazy, talk some junk to try to get in your head. At the end of the day they are going to bring that fight to you. Ain’t nobody gonna back down. I wanted to be part of that because I feel like that is what I’m about, too. I’m going to go out there and fight with you. I’m going to go out there and fight until the last second once it hits 0:00. After that I’m going to fight, for sure.
Q: Davon Booth had a good game against Tennessee last year. Has he talked about that with you?
Smith: Not really. Of course, he talks a little crazy. But overall, there’s not a lot of talk about it and you move past it. At this point, I am all forward with this team and being a Bulldog is all I care about.
Category: General Sports
