Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 62-13vs UL Monroe | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 5 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 38-13@ Minnesota | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Total | 10 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 |
#2
Isaac Smith
Senior safety on Mississippi State's 2026 roster.
6′0″ · 220 lb · Fulton, MS · Itawamba Agricultural HS
CFB Index 70 · #102 of 544 safetiesMedium confidenceReturning to Mississippi State for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
Recruiting
4★
S recruit
No. 148 nationally · Signed with Mississippi State
Statement game20 tackles · 0.5 TFLat Tennessee (FBS) · L 14-33
Top 0.1% tackles game since 2021.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 safety on Mississippi State's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Mississippi State in 2023.
Isaac Smith
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. Four seasons at Mississippi State, two different head coaches: Greg Knox and Jeff Lebby. 2024 brought the first one: All-SEC. The receipt: 5 tackles against Minnesota — Week 2, 2026.
10 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- recognition record
- game log
His career
He arrived as a blue-chip recruit and played like one.
20238 games
- Signed with Mississippi State4-star out of Itawamba Agricultural
202411 games
- All-SECsecond
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
Mississippi State
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🎖
ALL-SEC · 2ND TEAM
All-SEC 2nd team (2024)
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coaches2023
Greg Knox
Mississippi State
Coaching transition mid-career: Greg Knox → Jeff Lebby. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2023Mississippi State5-7HC: Greg Knox · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2024Mississippi State2-10HC: Jeff Lebby · Run-leaning
2025Mississippi State5-8HC: Jeff Lebby · Run-leaning
2026Mississippi State2-0HC: Jeff Lebby · Run-leaning
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidence
Concern: tackles (10th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 5.0 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.5 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jeff Lebby
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Starter
Tackle volume for the position at a full-time starter's level.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
70 · #102 of 544 safeties
Former four-star. Now #102 at the position.
2026 outlook
In the mix to repeat All-SEC
Based on 2025: #7 of 28 SEC Ss
How the All-SEC estimate is computed
35% estimated, 95% confidence interval 31–38%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Mississippi State | 10 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 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 | 216 | 71 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 7 | 1 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 38–13
at Minnesota
5 TOT · 3 SOLO · 1 PD
Dominant 25-point win on the road against Minnesota.
With K. Taylor — 227 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · QBR 88.8 · 86 rush yds (13 car) · A. Evans III — 6 rush yds (1 car)
Game log
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: -12 net (28 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 #20 · 2026 recruiting class #23
DNA match
Player DNA
Box Safety
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
S
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Jaiden Woodbey’s 2022 season.
79%match
Matches Jaiden on
Height
Class year
PD rate
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
Class year
Interceptions
TFL rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Isaac Smith
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...
The secondary · Mississippi State
- #2Isaac Smith64 tackles · 2025
- #15Marcus Williams61 tackles · 2025
- #1Kelley Jones34 tackles · 2025
- #24Quentin Taylor Jr.27 tackles · 2025
- #28Tanner Duke Johnson13 tackles · 2025
19 more on the roster · Mississippi State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology