The surprise story of the 2024 College Football season was the SMU Mustangs in their first season in the ACC. Rhett Lashlee led his team to an 11-3 record going 8-0 in ACC Play falling just short in the ACC Championship Game and losing to Penn State in the College Football Playoff. While everyone will write off SMU's accomplishments as a rare season, the Mustangs have a chance to prove everyone wrong once again.
The NFL Draft took some of the most important pieces from the 2024 Mustangs but, Rhett Lashlee returns a solid core to continue building around. As SMU look to go on another run to the College Football Playoff these 5 players are the most important for the Mustangs.
This offseason SMU lost it's two most productive pass rushers Elijah Roberts and Jahfari Harvey to the NFL after each recorded 7.5 sacks. The SMU Mustangs added transfers to help replace the production but, one of the focal points of the defense is going to be edge rusher Isaiah Smith who record 6.5 sacks last season. The rest of the defense returns a ton of key pieces but, Isaiah Smith is going to have to lead a new group of defensive linemen if this defense is going to gel.
The SMU Mustangs had one of the most dynamic playmakers in wide receiver turned running back Brashard Smith who scored 17 touchdowns in 2024. Smith is off to the NFL and replacing him will be Redshirt Freshman Derrick McFall. As a True Freshman, McFall carried the ball 26 times for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns but, only played in 5 games to maintain his Redshirt. McFall had an exciting Spring which sets him up to win the job this fall but, whoever wins the job will need to help take some of the pressure off of the passing attack.
Part of what made SMU's run to the College Football Playoff so surprising was the fact that they did it without arguably their best player. In 2023, RJ Maryland caught 34 passes for 518 yards and 7 touchdowns becoming one of the go to guys for the offense. In Mid-October, RJ Maryland suffered a torn ACL during the Stanford game. As SMU looks to go on another run to the College Football Playoff, RJ Maryland will be relied upon heavily as the offense looks to put it all together once again.
SMU safety Isaiah Nwokobia was quietly one of the best defenders in College Football last season helping lead the team to the Playoff. As a Redshirt Junior, Nwokobia racked up 100 tackles, 3 interceptions, and half a sack leading the defense in tackles. Nwokobia is the clear leader of the defense and he'll need to continue his dominance this season to help SMU return to the Playoff.
You can’t overstate the season Isaiah Nwokobia has had. Has repped that special #23 valiantly. pic.twitter.com/sccmrXG4Q0
— Carter Yates (@Carter_Yates16) December 3, 2023
Last season, SMU entered the season with a quiet quarterback controversy as Kevin Jennings had the talent to unseat a highly productive quarterback in Preston Stone. Once Rhett Lashlee stopped splitting snaps and handed the team over to Kevin Jennings Jr, the Mustangs were off to the races. Jennings completed 65% of his passes for 3,245 yards and 23 touchdowns with 11 interceptions while his ability to rush gave him the edge over Stone as he added another 354 yards and 5 touchdowns with his legs.
Heading into the 2025 season, Kevin Jennings Jr is the most important player for SMU if the Mustangs are going to make the Playoff. In his second season as the starter, Jennings should be able to take a big leap especially as he returns some of his biggest weapons. If Jennings can improve as a passer, he can find himself in the Heisman race and SMU could find itself back in the College Football Playoff.
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