Kevin Fant played at Mississippi State from 2000-2003. He is from Moss Point, MS and choose to stay in his home state to wear the Maroon and White. During his time in Starkville, Fant threw for 5,631 total yards and 33 touchdowns. I recently got to talk to now Coach Kevin Fant to ask him a little bit about what he is up to now, his time as a Bulldog, and some of the life lessons that he took with him from Mississippi State. One of the first questions that I had for Fant was about his recruiting process and how he decided Mississippi State was the school for him. Fant had several offers out of high school and as he would say “It was all the good players I had around me that helped me get to the level I was and certainly made me look good.” Fant also said that, “Mississippi was losing players and I wanted to stay in State.” To him Mississippi State was “home” and when staying in state there was no other option. Auburn would’ve been his second choice, because it was similar to Mississippi State and even though on visits to such schools as LSU he never really felt at home. He followed the advice he gives his own players now by telling himself, “If God took away football, would you still be happy?” For all the Bulldog faithful, it was great to see Kevin Fant coming to suit up in the Maroon and White. Fant would go on to tell me more about Mississippi State, his experience here and some of his favorite memories. When talking to him, just as anyone who has spent enough time around Starkville or Mississippi State, it seems to always leaves a lasting impression on you. I asked him if there were some memories or favorite moments as a bulldog that really stood out to him. The first thing that Fant said was “he had so many memories at Mississippi State.” He said, “I’m a process, goal oriented guy, remembering big solutions more than small success. Whether it be throwing ten yard outs that I struggled with and then making it my strength or doing it with my players now, there’s nothing better than seeing that throw nailed.” Coach Fant loved being at Mississippi State and he also loved representing something bigger than him. When asked about his favorite memories as a Bulldog he said, “It meant a great deal to me to put that uniform on and represent my state and that had to be my favorite part because with kids leaving the state not everyone got to experience how special that is.” When playing athletics at Mississippi State there is something that each and every team prides themselves on. Athletes here including myself take great pride in putting on the Maroon and White, but there is something extra that I like to call the “Bulldog” mentality. I asked Coach Fant about this and he agreed with me that the “Bulldog” mentality is finding ways to get your job done no matter the circumstances and being tough like, Bulldogs. Fant said, “He had to learn from the good moments but had to go through failures to find success.” The Bulldogs had five scholarship players go down due to injury his senior year in 2003. Expectations were high when Fant arrived since the Bulldogs had just won the SEC Western Division in 1998. Due to all of the adversity, Fant said, “The rough years made me dig deep but in the rough times I learned a tremendous amount that help me be a better coach today. Rough times were hard, but they were a blessing in disguise because as a coach nothing ever goes to plan and you always have to be prepared when things aren’t going right.” Kevin Fant loved being a Bulldog and representing the Maroon and White. He was one of my favorite Bulldogs and although his legacy did not go as he had maybe dreamed it was great to see him put on the uniform and represent his state. Fant recently just took a Head Coaching position at Vancleave High School in south Mississippi. Everyone in the Maroon and White will certainly still be cheering him on and wishing him the best of luck with his new job.