Loaded with transfers, SMU football presents formidable test for TCU in rivalry game

In the eyes of Sonny Dykes, the SMU Mustangs may have one of the best rosters the Horned Frogs will see this season.

At his weekly press conference on Tuesday, Dykes said he made sure to hammer the point home to TCU (2-1) about the talent across SMU’s roster.

“They’re a really talented football team, I think a lot of people picked them to be the darkhorse team to win the ACC this year,” Dykes said. “Pro Football Focus does this ranking of players over the summer, there are 17 teams in the ACC and they had six of the top-10 players in a 17-team league. We didn’t have a single player ranked in the top-30 in the Big 12.”

Dykes had a hand in building up this roster from his time at SMU, but with him being three seasons removed, most of the credit now goes to current coach Rhett Lashlee.

According to 247Sports, SMU (2-1) took over 20 transfers last cycle and more than a dozen came from blueblood programs like Oregon, Alabama, Texas and a handful of starters from Miami.

While there’s a separate conversation to be had about the value of PFF rankings, there’s no doubt the Mustangs did everything they could this off-season to load the roster up with talent to prepare for the jump up in competition to the ACC.

Among the players that have impressed Dykes the most is running back Brashard Smith. Smith is one of the many former Hurricanes on the roster and after being a return specialist in Miami, Smith has assumed the role of the lead running back for SMU.

“Their running back right now is rated the No. 1 running back in football according to PFF,” Dykes said. “Then you look at their offensive line, I think everyone that is starting up front was a four-star recruit.”

Regardless of PFF’s ranking, Smith isn’t as good as UCF’s R.J. Harvey or Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, but there’s no denying he’s the most reliable playmaker for SMU on offense as he’s rushed for 253 yards and three touchdowns so far this season.

While the offensive line is talented it should be noted SMU lost two of its best this off-season. Oklahoma snagged Branson Hickman and Missouri signed offensive tackle Marcus Bryant to bolster its offensive line.

Up front for the Mustangs is another large contingent of former Hurricanes in Jared Harrison-Hunte, Jahfari Harvey and Elijah Roberts.

“They have really good players, three of the four starting defensive linemen are from Miami,” Dykes said. “Very, very talented football team full of NFL players, so we’ll have our work cut out for us.”

While the Horned Frogs are gearing up to face what Dykes believes is a loaded roster, TCU is also preparing a bit for the unknown as SMU made a quarterback switch headed into the bye week.

Preston Stone, a prized recruit from Dykes’ era, was benched after struggling in SMU’s loss to BYU on Sept. 6. PFF has Stone with a significantly higher grade than Jennings, 83.4 to 61.4, but clearly Lashlee doesn’t agree completely with the formula leaning on Jennings.

Neither of the quarterbacks has been super impressive this season. Neither has completed more than 60% of their passing attempts and they’re both averaging less than 115 yards per game. But the Mustangs offense has produced better with Jennings at the helm and he offers a dual-threat element that teams will have to account for.

Dykes isn’t sure what to expect from SMU offensively with Jennings leading the way, but he has an idea.

“That’s the hard part about when you change quarterbacks on an open date,” Dykes said. “It could be very difficult to prepare for. You have to do a good job of projecting what you’re going to see, so you don’t get into the middle of the game and be in scrambling mode.

“I’m sure there will be a little bit more quarterback run game. My guess is there will be a little more quick game and they’ll move the pocket, but again a lot remains to be seen.”

Whether it’s the unknown at quarterback or a roster full of ‘future NFL players’, TCU will be in for a challenge in the Battle for the Iron Skillet on Saturday.