DALLAS — Ahead of SMU’s first season in the ACC, head football coach Rhett Lashlee named Parish Episcopal alum Preston Stone the starting quarterback for the Mustangs.
Fast forward to Sept. 10, Lashlee confirmed that the Ponies were changing course. They would instead be led by a different local area product: South Oak Cliff’s Kevin Jennings.
“It’s a dream come true, honestly” Jennings, a sophomore quarterback, admitted when asked how he felt hearing the news from Lashlee. “I couldn’t believe it."
Both Dallas-area signal callers had seen significant playing time last season and early this season. Both were voted team captains by their teammates. Both had shown flashes of brilliance and moments of mistake.
And now, both have been named the starting quarterback within the season's time frame. But what Jennings has done since getting the nod can’t be ignored.
After being named the starter during SMU’s bye week, Jennings led the Mustangs to a 66-42 win over cross-town rival TCU. He then constructed a masterpiece in the Mustangs' Atlantic Coastal Conference home opener via a 42-16 thrashing of Florida State, who finished last season ranked sixth in the nation.
Then came his biggest accomplishment yet: a top-25 road upset over Louisville, which has led to the Mustangs' own top-25 ranking for the first time this season.
After being recruited by only Group-of-5 schools out of high school, Jennings was asked if he ever imagined being the starting quarterback at a Power 5 -- now 4 -- school.
“I’m not going to lie, there was a lot of doubt," Jennings laughed. "But I stayed the course, and I know the man above always has me.”
The man above may have also helped Jennings lead his high school to its first state title in program history in 2021.
Jennings gives a lot of credit for the resilience he has today to those who coached him in his career at South Oak Cliff.
"The coaches helped me a lot there, just showing me whatever adversity is gonna come, you got to push through it no matter what," Jennings said. "I've been able to get through it. It took me a long way."
We’ll see if he can create a little more history, leading SMU to potentially its first ACC championship in its first year as a member.
"Just because we had a good early season doesn't mean nothing," the quarterback said. "I'm trying to push through it."