Mississippi State Football Mount Rushmore: Taking a Look At The All-Time Greats

There have obviously been some great Bulldogs in years past, but where do they all rank on this list?

Mississippi State football has had its ups and downs throughout recent history, but appears to be on a major upswing now and has several prospects on the current team who will go on to the NFL in coming years.

Sending quality players on to the big leagues has been no issue for MSU, which has a host of former players who either suit up on Sundays now or did in the past and were playmakers for their respective teams.

Here's a look into four of the greatest Bulldogs to ever play the game and who just misses the cut:

Dak Prescott

Okay, this one just had to be gotten out of the way. In his time in the Maroon and White under Dan Mullen, Dak Prescott and his team brought MSU to the number one overall ranking in the country for the first time in school history. Prescott now suits up for the Dallas Cowboys on Sundays, Mondays, and the occasional Thursday, obviously. Prescott was a force for both the Bulldogs and continues to be one at the pro level, currently playing like a quarterback who could be crowned MVP by the end of the season. So far this year, Prescott has completed 73.9% of his passes for 1,368 yards with 13 touchdowns and three interceptions with the Cowboys.

Johnie Cooks

For the fans out there who are a part of the younger crowd, you’ve probably only heard of the name Johnie Cooks -- the 6-foot-4, 243-pound tackling machine that used to play linebacker for MSU, and if that is the case, go put on the tape. To say Cooks was a standout for the Bulldogs is an understatement. He was taken second overall by the (then Baltimore) Colts in the 1982 NFL Draft. Cooks tallied up 373 tackles as a bulldog, with 241 of those being solos. One simply did not get past Cooks with ease.

Kent Hull

Plainly put, Kent Hull was built differently. Hull started at center for the Bulldogs in his freshman year at only 200 lbs. He also managed to make the All-SEC freshman team in that same year. Not only was Hull a dominant force in the middle, he didn't miss games, either. After being drafted, Hull had a stint in the NFL where he played in 108 consecutive games. He was on the field for literally every single snap of the 1989 Buffalo Bills season. Durability and dawg mentality at its finest.

Eric Moulds

The name “Moulds” is one that you cannot be ignorant of if you claim to be a Mississippi State fan. He is solely responsible for some of the biggest plays in MSU history, and although he is about to have multiple records of his smashed in this new offense, I can’t help but think what Moulds would have done to defenses in this Air Raid scheme. Moulds was a playmaker in its truest form, catching 118 passes for 2,022 yards as a Bulldog, while simultaneously averaging 32.8 yards per kick return.

Honorable Mention: Anthony “Boobie” Dixon, Johnathan Banks, Fletcher Cox, Chris Jones, Jackie Parker, D.D. Lewis, Ray Costict, Mardye McDole, John Bond