For the first time since the mid-80s, SMU starts the season ranked fresh off an appearance in the College Football Playoff. On top of their own 2026 NFL Draft hopeful QB, Kevin Jennings, the Mustangs will take on two other draft hopefuls in the first four weeks of the season in Sawyer Robertson (Baylor) and Josh Hoover (TCU). These non-conference matchups can either help or hurt their season.
SMU has a slew of other draft eligible prospects like RB TJ Harden, WR Yamir Knight, TE RJ Maryland, OT PJ Williams, OG Logan Parr, C Addison Nichols, S Isaiah Nwokobia, and S Ahmaad Moses to watch out for this season. I think the Mustangs can go anywhere between 8-4 and 11-1, but all signs point to a potential top-10 matchup in Death Valley on October 18. I’ll have my popcorn ready for that one. For now, let’s have our AI friend give us the rundown on this historic feat.
Fresh off an 11-3 season, SMU returns much of the core that powered its run to the ACC title game in 2024. Head coach Rhett Lashlee, along with coordinators Casey Woods (offense) and Scott Symons (defense), are all back to lead a veteran squad. The Mustangs retain four All-ACC selections from last year — First-Team SS Isaiah Nwokobia, Third-Team QB Kevin Jennings, Third-Team G Logan Parr, and Third-Team OT PJ Williams — plus several honorable mentions, including TE RJ Maryland, FS Ahmaad Moses, and K Collin Rogers.
SMU will open the year ranked No. 16 in the AP Top 25, marking its first appearance in the preseason poll since 1985 — the year before the NCAA’s “death penalty” temporarily shut down the program. The ranking reflects not just recent success, but a full-scale program resurgence under Lashlee, placing SMU in the national conversation before a single snap is played.
With consecutive 11-win seasons already in the books, SMU is targeting a third straight conference championship appearance and another berth in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. The Mustangs are looking to build on last year’s experience, when they fell 38-10 to Penn State in the opening round, and will kick off their 2025 campaign on Aug. 30 against East Texas A&M (FCS).