After a Cinderella run to the ACC Championship Game and the College Football Playoff, everyone is starting to wonder what the SMU Mustangs could look like on a year to year basis. As NIL arrived in College Football, SMU had the potential to emerge as a serious contender if they played their cards right but, Rhett Lashlee was the first coach to get the Mustangs on the right track.
Coming off of back-to-back 11-3 seasons, Rhett Lashlee has shown everyone that he has built the blueprint at SMU, and now recruits are starting to notice. As things currently stand, SMU has the 17th ranked recruiting class in the Country and the 4th ranked class in the ACC.
The way that Rhett Lashlee is building his recruiting class is the part that's most promising for the future. The two most recent commitments for the Mustangs are the most impressive of the group, as Rhett Lashlee battled some of the Nation's best for two elite offensive linemen. Drew Evers gives the Mustangs a 4-star at guard while Evan Goodwin is another Top-300 prospect at offensive tackle.
BREAKING: Four-Star OL Drew Evers has Committed to SMU, he tells me for @on3recruits
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 26, 2025
The 6’4 302 OL from Flower Mound, TX chose the Mustangs over Ohio State, Texas A&M, Penn State, & LSU
“214…I’m staying home. Let’s work #PonyUp”https://t.co/sTRY28LBbb pic.twitter.com/H44IUEsscK
While Lashlee's ability to build in the trenches is impressive, he's also found a way to balance this class with the talent at the skill positions. The biggest recruiting win came when the Mustangs flipped Jakai Anderson a wide receiver out of Louisiana from LSU giving the team an elite talent on the outside. The highest ranked recruit in SMU's class is In-State running back Christian Rhodes who's a top 200 player in the class.
As the Summer moves along, the Mustangs will have a chance to continue adding 4-star recruits to this class. Being one of the Power 4 teams in Texas sets SMU up to land great talent but, with the success they had in their first season in the ACC, they'll start to compete for some of the State's best recruits.
The NCAA House Settlement arrives which further helps level the playing field for some of the team's in the Power 4 as revenue sharing sets a cap while also limiting the effect of collectives. If Rhett Lashlee and his staff can nail this new model in College Football, they'll be set up to last in the ACC.