9 Best Mississippi State Bulldogs Football Players

The Mississippi State Bulldogs football program was established in 1895. They’ve been in the SEC since they departed the SoCon conference in 1932. 

The Bulldogs have been to 26 bowl games and went 15-11. Since 2018, the Bulldogs have appeared in five bowl games. If you bet on their moneyline football odds, you’d have come out on the losing end. They’re 2-3 in bowl games from 2018 to 2023. 

Mississippi State is in the SEC, and you can bet on the team’s college football odds for all of the Bulldogs’ games and more at the BetMGM online sportsbook.

Below is my list of the top nine Bulldogs. 

9 Best Mississippi State Bulldogs Football Players

1. Dak Prescott

Prescott played for Mississippi State from 2012 to 2015 but only started the final three seasons. He ranks second in completions (734), passing yards (9,376), passing touchdowns (70), total yards (11,897), 10th in rushing yards (2,521), third in rushing touchdowns (41), and first in total touchdowns (111). 

He was a two-time first-team All-SEC selection and went 1-2 in bowl games, including a 51-28 win over North Carolina State in the Belk Bowl.

People forget how dominant Dak Prescott was at Mississippi State 🍿pic.twitter.com/EEqNrKfE8N

— Football’s Greatest Moments (@FBGreatMoments) July 4, 2024

2. Johnie Cooks

Cooks racked up 392 tackles (fifth) and 24 sacks (fourth) during his time at Mississippi State from 1977 to 1981. He missed the 1979 season due to injury. 

Cooks was a first-team All-American, a two-time first-team All-SEC, and second-team All-SEC selection. 

He was the Defensive MVP of the 1981 Hall of Fame Bowl, in which Mississippi State beat Kansas 10-0. 

He became the No. 2 overall pick in the 1982 NFL Draft.

3. D.D. Lewis

Lewis played for the Bulldogs from 1965 to 1967 and had a storied career. While there, he was a first-team All-American, second-team All-American, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year (1967), a two-time first-team All-SEC selection, and a member of the SEC All-Sophomore team. Lewis has since been inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, and the College Football Hall of Fame. 

4. Jackie Parker

In two seasons at Mississippi State (1952 and 1993), Parker played quarterback, running back, defensive back, and kicker. 

While there, he was a first-team All-American, a two-time SEC Player of the Year, and two-time first-team All-SEC.

Parker ranks fifth in program history in rushing touchdowns (24) and holds other school records, such as the highest career yards per pass attempt (north of 8.518), the most points scored by a non-kicker, and more. 

5. Eric Moulds

Moulds played at Mississippi State from 1993 to 1995. While there, he had 2,022 receiving yards (fifth) and was both a first-team All-SEC and second-team All-SEC honoree. He also averaged 17.1 yards per catch. In 1994, he led the nation in kickoff returns by averaging 32.8 yards per return. 

He was the 24th overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. 

6. Walt Harris

About 11 picks before Moulds in the 1996 NFL Draft was his teammate, Harris. 

Harris was drafted No. 13 overall by the Chicago Bears after a career at Mississippi Stae, where he was a two-time first-team All-SEC selection. He also remains tied for the program lead in interceptions with 16. He had six interceptions in both the 1993 and 1994 seasons. 

Harris is in the Mississippi State Ring of Honor. 

7. Johnathan Banks

Banks is tied with Harris for the program lead in interceptions after his time with Mississippi State from 2009 to 2012. 

While in school, Banks won the Jim Thorpe Award and was named first-team All-American, first-team All-SEC, and second-team All-SEC. 

In addition to the 16 interceptions, Banks had 221 tackles, four sacks, and four touchdowns. 

He was the No. 43 overall selection in the 2013 NFL Draft. 

8. Ray Costict

Costict played at Mississippi State from 1973 to 1976 and recorded 467 tackles, making him the program’s all-time leading tackler. He had 156 tackles in 1974, 155 in 1975, and 156 in 1976. He also had 29 in a game against Kentucky in 1976, a school record. 

He was a third-team All-American, first-team All-SEC, and second-team All-SEC honoree before being selected as the No. 303 pick in the 11th round of the 1977 NFL Draft. 

9. Anthony Dixon

Dixon is the all-time leading rusher in Mississippi State history with 3,994 yards. He played for the school from 2006 to 2009, holding the single-season record with 1,391 yards in 2009. He averaged 84.1 rushing yards across the 40 games he played. 

He also scored 42 rushing touchdowns (second). 

Dixon won the Cellular South Conerly Trophy in 2009; that same year, he was first-team All-SEC. 

He was taken in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft.