40 in 40: Hunter Washington brings talent, experience and leadership to Bulldogs

Mississippi State’s defensive players are making it known 2025 will be a lot different than 2024.

Whether its them walking together to Sunday’s scrimmage or what players say at press conferences, it’s clear something is different.

“We come together each and every day” fifth-year senior Hunter Washington said. “We talk about belief, but not just on the defensive side, also on the offensive side. That’s just our main thing right now, having belief and trusting each other.

“As soon as the newcomers arrived, and the ones who stayed here, you could just tell we already knew each other. Within the first couple of weeks, we bonded fast. And we don’t just bond here—we make sure we bond outside so we can get closer.”

Whether or not the bonding translates into positive results on the field will soon be revealed, but it’s fair to expect the Bulldogs’ defense to be better in 2025. Plenty new players will key to that, but also returning players like Washington are going to be just as important.

Who is Hunter Washington?

Washington played high school football at Katy High School in Texas with current Bulldogs Seth Davis and Malick Sylla where they won a state championship in 2020. Washington was a four-star prospect after high school and was ranked as a top 20 cornerback in the nation and top 40 overall prospect in Texas by the major recruiting services.

Washington signed with Florida State where he was named the FSU Special Teams Scout Player of the Year in 2021. He played in just one game and earned a redshirt. He transferred to Mississippi State the following season and played in nine games with three tackles.

He saw his playing time increase significantly in 2023 and was a starter before suffering an injury and missing the final fives games of the season. He ended the season with only six tackles.

What happened in 2024?

Washington played in 12 games for the Bulldogs and ended the season with 55 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, two pass breakups, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. The interception against Texas A&M was the first of his career. It was by far the best season of Washington’s collegiate career, but wasn’t enough for Mississippi State to avoid its fate.

Why will he be important in 2025?

There’s a trend that has emerged with answering why a player is important. It boils down to three things: Talent. Experience. Leadership.

Some players have all three and others have just one or two. Washington has all three.

He’s a fifth-year senior that’s playing in the same system for a second consecutive season. That’s the experience.

Go back and reread his 2024 stat line. The only stat category not included is sacks. Yes, Mississippi State’s defense was bad, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t any talent. Washington showed he had the talent.

And leadership. A fifth-year senior is a leader just by default whether its through words or actions, younger and new players are going to follow their lead.

Washington checks all the boxes for what makes a player important for Mississippi State in 2025.

Previous 40 in 40 Coaches and Players:

Coaches

Jeff Lebby, Head Coach
Coleman Hutzler, Defensive Coordinator
Phil Loadholt, Offensive line coach

Players

Kedrick Bingley-Jones, DL
Davon Booth, RB
Fluff Bothwell, RB
DeAgo Brumfield, DB
Jamil Burroughs, DL
Kalvin Dinkins, DL
Antony Evans III, WR
Kyle Ferrie, K
Branden Jennings, DL
Kelley Jones, DB
Brylan Lanier, S
Jahron Manning, DB
Nic Mitchell, LB
Jordan Mosley, WR
Albert Reese IV, OL
Isaac Smith, S
Blake Steen, OL
Brenen Thompson, WR
Zakari Tillman, Edge
Seydou Traore, TE