SMU is 31-10 since the start of 2023 and 14-2 against ACC teams in the regular season since joining the Power Four. The Mustangs were once a fun redemption story of a program that was long forgotten because of transgressions that now feel small in the world of NIL, revenue sharing, and unlimited transfers. 

But SMU is no longer defined by the Death Penalty and the climb back to college football relevance. Rhett Lashlee’s program is a bona fide ACC contender alongside Miami and Louisville. The Mustangs are 5-1 against Miami, Florida State, Clemson, and Louisville since joining the conference and must be mentioned when talking about the College Football Playoff contenders heading into 2026. 

I stopped by the Hilltop on Wednesday to watch practice and sit down with Lashlee to go over the Mustang roster for the summer magazine. He believes this is the highest ceiling team he’s had at SMU. Here are some notes from that visit. 

OFFENSE 

• Kevin Jennings returns for Year 3 as a starter and that gives SMU a chance to win the ACC and make it back to the CFP. He wasn’t 100 percent healthy last season and still improved his performance from 2024. His steadiness and consistency on and off the field was praised by Lashlee. 
• Ty Hawkins is clearly QB2 for SMU and will be the next homegrown quarterback for the Mustangs once Jennings rides off into the sunset. Lashlee said that SMU is so confident in Hawkins heading into 2026 that the program might’ve not even looked in the portal for a replacement had Jennings left after last season. If possible, Lashlee wants to recruit his quarterbacks out of high school and develop them behind the scenes like with Preston Stone and Jennings. Hawkins is next up, as is true freshman Cole Leinart. 
• Yamir Knight is expected to have monster year in the slot and Lashlee estimates he catches 70-100 balls in 2026, saying he can have a James Proche type season. Knight is the ideal slot receiver and is excellent after the catch, which is why he’s such a good punt returner. 
• There are a few young, talented wide receivers on the outside that SMU needs to emerge this year. Jalen Cooper and Isaiah Robertson are atop that list. Robertson would’ve played as a true freshman if not for an injury. Cooper showed flashes while catching 19 passes for 321 yards and a pair of touchdowns as a true freshman. Without Jordan Hudson and Romello Brinson, those two can shine this year if they take advantage of their opportunities. 
• Yannick Smith is a 6-foot-3 East Carolina transfer that gives SMU height on the outside. Alabama transfer Jalen Hale is a speedster who has impressed in the spring but injuries have kept him from playing in almost two years and he’s still knocking off the rust. 
• SMU lost three tight ends, including RJ Maryland and Matthew Hibner. That forced the Mustangs to be aggressive in the transfer portal. Florida State transfer Randy Pittman Jr. and Texas A&M transfer Theo Melin Ohrstrom provide senior leadership at the position. Zach Tuner, Tech transfer Trey Jackson, and Andre Nickerson Jr. are young guys who should develop into playmakers. Tripp Riordan is also in the mix. Lashlee thinks it’s the best depth SMU has had at TE. 
• Cal transfer Kendrick Raphael and redshirt freshman Dramekco Green are the best 1-2 punch SMU has had at running back in Lashlee’s tenure. The staff is high on Green, who would’ve played more as a freshman if not for injury. True freshman Christian Rhodes will likely get carries, as well. Derrick McFall is in the Roderick Daniels mold and will split time at slot and at running back. 
• SMU returns three starters along the offensive line. Josh Bates is the anchor at center. PJ Williams is the most talented of the bunch and he can play left or right tackle. Addison Nichols locked himself in as the right guard with a strong performance in 2025. 
• The rest of the offseason is about determining who the best option is at left guard and at tackle opposite of Williams. Andrew Chamblee and former five-star Dramodd Odoms are battling it out for the tackle spot, but don’t count out incoming freshman Sam Utu, who won’t arrive until the summer. Alex Woods and true freshman like Drew Evers and Toa Katoa are options at left guard. 
• The kicking game was consistent enough last year and that forced SMU into the transfer portal, where the Mustangs landed Nick Reed from Buffalo. The junior was an FCS All-American and made multiple kicks beyond 50 yards. He’ll also be a weapon on kickoffs because he can boom it out of the back of the endzone at will. 

DEFENSE 

• Maurice Crum Jr. is now the defensive play caller after former DC Scott Symons took a job with the Dallas Cowboys. Don’t expect a ton to change schematically and Lashlee said SMU doesn’t feel like a team with three new coordinators. That’s because each hire was a promotion within the staff. 
•  The defensive line is deeper than it was in 2025 but the staff is still trying to figure out if it is as high-end talented as the 2024 group. Kansas State transfer Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder has the potential to be elite at the three-technique. Christian Davis is a promising nose tackle. The Mustangs also get Jonathan Jefferson back from injury. Kevin Allen and Woo Spencer have come on this offseason, Lashlee said. 
• Aakil Washington and Marques White are experienced transfers who will immediately make an impact off the edge. Jahkai Lang is back. Ira Singleton has shown a lot of twitch as a pass rusher. The wildcard is JUCO transfer Tavion Atkinson, who won’t arrive until the summer. 
• Alexander Kilgore and Brandon Miyazono are the leaders in the linebacker room. Brandon Booker turned the corner last year and started 11 games. Lashlee said he could be the breakout star of this year’s team if he can put it all together. 
• Marcellus Barnes Jr. can be a lockdown corner. The other corner spot is a battle between Texas A&M transfer Jayvon Thomas and Jaelyn Davis-Robinson. 
• UTSA transfer Jimmy Wyrick is an experienced safety in the mold of former SMU safety Jonathan McGill. Jaylen Moses has turned a corner and will be an impact player at safety. Tyren Polley Jr. and Sael Reyes are battling it out at Rover to replace long-time starter Isaiah Nwokobia. 
• Jarvis Lee is a playmaker at nickel. He and La’Modrick Spencer are co-starters at that position.