Skip to content

Ad Disclosure

Mississippi State Bulldogs

Tolu Smith suffers foot injury during MSU practice, will miss time

Ethan Stone

By Ethan Stone

Published:

Tolu Smith, Mississippi State’s standout center and an All-SEC selection in 2022-23, suffered a foot injury in practice this week, according to a statement from Bulldogs HC Chris Jans.

There’s good and bad news for MSU fans on this front: Smith is expected to return for SEC play but will miss the entirety of the Bulldogs’ non-conference slate. In other words, we likely won’t see Smith until at least early January.

Here’s Jans’ statement on the injury:

First impression may be that WVU transfer Jimmy Bell will slide in at the center spot, but there’s also a small-ball approach Jans could take to prioritize the strengths of this now-guard heavy lineup down their star center.

Either way you look at it, this is far from the news this Bulldogs program needs. However, it’s not too detrimental, either.

The Bulldogs do not play an overtly strong non-conference schedule this season. There are some good teams sprinkled in (Arizona State, Rutgers, potentially Northwestern at the HOF classic), but none that are expected to be true elites in the 2023-24 season.

We’ll see how Jans and Co. navigate life without Smith in the coming weeks. Mississippi State tips off its season on Nov. 8 against Arizona State. The Bulldogs begin SEC play on Jan 6 against South Carolina in Columbia.

Ethan Stone

Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.

You might also like...

2025 RANKINGS

presented by rankings

Read our Privacy Policy, Terms and Conditions, Cookie Policy and

© 2025 Saturday Down South. All rights reserved

We do not target any individuals under the age of 21. We support responsible gambling. If you feel like you're losing control over your gambling experience, call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, PA, WV), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-888- 532-3500(Virginia) 1-800-522-4700 (NV, TN), 1-800-522-4700 (CO, TN), 1-855-2CALLGA (IL), 1-800-270-7117 (MI). global.footer.legal