Mississippi State football: Modern-era Mount Rushmore
By Ethan Lee
Fred Smoot
Fred Smoot only saw the field at Mississippi State for a couple of seasons, but he certainly had an impact in the Bulldogs’ secondary. While he was on the team from 1997 to 2000, it took a couple of seasons before he became a star for State.
Once he became a starter, Smoot took over and locked down SEC receivers regularly. Known for his great play and great smack talk, Smoot helped the Bulldogs during the 1999 and 2000 seasons.
There’s plenty of great quotes which can be attributed to him, but arguably the best is about geography. According to Smoot, “two-thirds of the world is covered by water. The other third is covered by Fred Smoot.”
Which may or may not be totally accurate.
Regardless, Smoot snagged 10 interceptions during the 1999 and 2000 Mississippi State football seasons. Though that’s good for just a tie for eighth in Mississippi State’s record book, it is worth noting that those ahead of him had more playing time and several played in eras where the ball was thrown around a bit more.
During the 1999 and 2000 seasons, Smoot was given All-SEC honors for his impressive play. He was named an All-American in 2000 and was a finalist for the Thorpe Award that same season.
Smoot would eventually be drafted by Washington in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He was there until 2004 when he left and went to play for the Minnesota Vikings. After a couple of seasons in Minnesota, Smoot returned to Washington and played in D.C. until the end of the 2009 season.