HATTIESBURG – Former Southern Miss defensive back Tarvarius Moore was drafted in the third round (95th overall) by the San Francisco 49ers on Friday night.
Moore, a native of Quitman, Miss., is the first Golden Eagle draft pick since Mike Thomas (sixth round) and Kalan Reed (seventh) both went in 2016. He is the highest Southern Miss draft pick since Khyri Thornton was the 85th overall pick (third round) by the Green Bay Packers in 2014. Moore will also join former Golden Eagle teammate and quarterback Nick Mullens on the 49er roster.
Moore started all 13 games for the Golden Eagles and led the squad in tackles with 87 (59 solos), which ranked No. 23 in C-USA, and was later named a Pro Football Focus First-Team All-American. He also collected Conference USA honorable mention honors, posting three interceptions for 54 yards, nine pass breakups and a fumble recovery against Kentucky (9/2). Moore tied for No. 6 in the league in passes defended, and one of his interceptions came in overtime at LA Tech, while his others came against Southern (9/9) and Marshall (11/25).
He registered his lone forced fumble in the last contest of the season at Marshall (11/25) and saved his best collegiate game for last as he registered a career-best 14 tackles versus Florida State in the Walk-On’s Independence Bowl. Moore also notched 11 stops versus UTSA (10/7), while adding 10 against Louisiana Tech (10/28) and nine versus Rice (11/11), overall producing seven or more stops in six games during the year.
Moore spent his first two seasons at Pearl River CC.
Ito Smith - Fourth round, pick 126 overall
Former Southern Miss running back Ito Smith, who finished with one of the most decorated careers in Golden Eagle history, was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round (No. 126 overall) on Saturday afternoon.
Smith is the first Southern Miss running back drafted since Harold Shaw in 1998. He is also the fourth Golden Eagle to be taken by the Falcons since 2004 (Lamar Holmes in 2012, Michael Boley in 2005, Etric Pruitt in 2004).
Smith follows defensive back Tarvarius Moore, who was drafted in the third round (No. 95 overall) by the San Francisco 49ers on Friday night. Smith finished as the school’s all-time leader in all-purpose yards with 6,534, averaging 125.7 yards per contest over his 52-game career. Smith overall collected 15 touchdowns this season (13 rushing, 2 receiving), giving him a school-record 49 total scores for his career. He finished just two touchdowns shy of tying Damion Fletcher (2006-09) for most rushing touchdowns in school history with 42.
Smith, a native of Mobile, Ala., led the team in rushing at 1,415 yards on 248 carries (5.7 ypr), reaching the 1,000-yard plateau for the third time in his career. He is one of only three players to lead the Golden Eagles in rushing all four seasons with the programs – the others were Damion Fletcher (2006-09) and Bubba Phillips (1947-50) – and he is one of just three Golden Eagles to rush for 1,000 or more yards in at least three seasons. Smith was one of only 10 players in FBS history to record at least 4,000-yards rushing (4,538) and 1,000-yards receiving (1,446) during career.
His big-play capability saw him tie with the nation’s lead for most touchdowns 65 yards or longer with four. Smith established school record for longest scoring run of 89 yards at UTSA (10/7), added a scoring run of 80 yards versus Charlotte (11/18) in his final carry at M.M. Roberts Stadium, collected an 84-yard pass from Keon Howard on game’s first play, a flea flicker, against UAB (10/28) and tallied a 65-yard scoring rush versus North Texas (9/30). He also caught 40 passes for 396 yards and ended his career with 140 catches, good for fourth on the Golden Eagle career chart.
Smith had seven 100-yard rushing games for 23 in his career, including a career-best 219-yard rushing game at ULM (9/16).
Cornell Armstrong - Sixth round, pick 209 overall
Former Southern Miss defensive back Cornell Armstrong was drafted Saturday afternoon in the sixth round (No. 209 overall) by the Miami Dolphins.
This is the first time since 2004 that three Golden Eagles were selected in the draft. That season, it was Rod Davis (fifth round), Greg Brooks (sixth) and Etric Pruitt (sixth) hearing their names called. This year, Southern Miss led Conference USA with its three draft picks.
Armstrong played in 10 games last season, and 4 1/2 of his 22 tackles were for loss. He also had nine pass deflections and seven breakups to go with two interceptions. He had a 46-yard return for a touchdown against Southern and another pickoff versus UTEP. Armstrong had a season-high four tackles (all solo) against Louisiana Tech.
The Bassfield, Miss., native led the Golden Eagles with nine deflections and eight breakups as a junior in 2016, and in 2014 he was named to the C-USA All-Freshman team.
Smith finished as the school’s all-time leader in all-purpose yards with 6,534, averaging 125.7 yards per contest over his 52-game career. Smith overall collected 15 touchdowns this season (13 rushing, 2 receiving), giving him a school-record 49 total scores for his career. He finished just two touchdowns shy of tying Damion Fletcher (2006-09) for most rushing touchdowns in school history with 42.
Smith, a native of Mobile, Ala., led the team in rushing at 1,415 yards on 248 carries (5.7 ypr), reaching the 1,000-yard plateau for the third time in his career. He is one of only three players to lead the Golden Eagles in rushing all four seasons with the programs – the others were Damion Fletcher (2006-09) and Bubba Phillips (1947-50) – and he is one of just three Golden Eagles to rush for 1,000 or more yards in at least three seasons. Smith was one of only 10 players in FBS history to record at least 4,000-yards rushing (4,538) and 1,000-yards receiving (1,446) during career.
Moore started all 13 games for the Golden Eagles and led the squad in tackles with 87 (59 solos), which ranked No. 23 in C-USA, and was later named a Pro Football Focus First-Team All-American. He also collected Conference USA honorable mention honors, posting three interceptions for 54 yards, nine pass breakups and a fumble recovery against Kentucky (9/2). Moore tied for No. 6 in the league in passes defended, and one of his interceptions came in overtime at LA Tech, while his others came against Southern (9/9) and Marshall (11/25).
Southern Miss is home for the first two weeks of the 2018 season when it hosts Jackson State (Sept. 1) and ULM (Sept. 8). Season tickets (for as low as $110) are available by visiting SouthernMissTickets.com, calling 1-800-844-TICK, or stopping by the Pat Ferlise Center during normal business hours.
