Ferris State Football Alum Lento Smith Signs With NFL's Baltimore Ravens

Big Rapids, Mich. - Another former Ferris State University football standout will have an opportunity to compete in the National Football League (NFL) as defensive back Lento Smith signed with the Baltimore Ravens following this weekend's NFL Draft.

Smith, who started in the defensive secondary on the Bulldogs' 2024 NCAA Division II National Championship team, will take part in the Ravens' upcoming rookie mini camp as a free agent.

This past season, Smith played on the NCAA Division I level at the University of Tulsa following two seasons with the Bulldogs in 2023 and 2024 where he played in 26 games. While at Ferris State, he notched 86 tackles in the two years and tallied four interceptions along with 10 pass breakups while claiming All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) honors. His performance in 2024 helped the Bulldogs to a 14-1 overall record while winning the school's third of four national titles.

The New Orleans native played in all 12 games this past year for Tulsa and totaled 79 stops, including 46 solo tackles at the safety position. He also broke up four passes and had an interception. He earned American Conference Second Team accolades along with Phil Steele's American Conference Second Team honors in 2025. The 5-9, 185-pound Smith previously played at Santa Rose Junior College before arriving at Ferris State.

The Bulldog alum joins a long list of former FSU standouts who have earned an opportunity to showcase their skills in the NFL. Unofficially, at least 27 former Ferris State players have previously inked NFL free agent deals with most coming over the course of the past decade.

Last year, a trio of Ferris State football alums made active NFL opening day 53-man rosters, including Zach Sieler (Miami Dolphins), Tavierre Thomas (Minneosta Vikings) and Caleb Murphy (Los Angeles Chargers). All three remain in the league with Murphy recently signing with the New York Giants. Another former Bulldog, Mason Pline, was on the New Orleans Saints injury reserve list last fall.

Over the past 11 seasons, a total of 10 different Bulldog alums have seen NFL regular-season action. FSU has also had a total of 13 different players in NFL preseason camps over the past five years, which ranks among the most of any D2 school in the country.

Ferris State is currently riding a 30-game winning streak dating back to 2024 and has claimed four of the last five NCAA Division II National Championships. The Bulldogs are 93-7 overall in the past six years under head coach Tony Annese and have made a nation-leading 11 consecutive trips to the D2 Playoffs.