Jalen Smith holds the WLB · Backup spot in Mississippi State Bulldogs’s linebacker room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Jalen Smith is a 6'2", 230-pound weakside linebacker for Mississippi State who transferred from Tennessee. The Grayson, Georgia native arrived as a four-star recruit in the 2023 class and redshirted his true freshman year before appearing in 19 games across the 2024 and 2025 seasons. In 2025, Smith played in all 13 games and recorded 57 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one pass breakup, and two quarterback hurries. He posted a season-high 12 tackles against Wake Forest on January 2, marking his first double-digit tackle performance at Mississippi State.

Tennessee2023 – 2024

Mississippi State2025 — present