Reggie Roberson is back after his 2020 season was cut short by a knee injury (photo by SMU athletics).

David Gru admits he doesn’t have a very good poker face.

In the fourth game of the 2020 season, against Memphis, the SMU wide receivers coach had watched junior wideout Reggie Roberson, the Mustangs’ top deep threat, make a catch in front of the SMU bench. But instead of cutting back toward the middle of the field in search of a running lane through the Tigers’ defense, Roberson crumpled to the ground, grabbing his knee. For the second time in as many years, his season ended early because of injury.

Shortly thereafter, Roberson approached Gru and head coach Sonny Dykes, asking to meet with them.

“Reggie comes up to us — this is the type of guy he is — and says ‘I hope you’ll take me back for another year,’” Gru said. “This was right when he found out that he would need surgery, right after his injury — he was pretty adamant about setting up his meeting.

“Hoping we would take him back? I was trying to hold my poker face … but I probably didn’t do a great job.”

Gru acknowledged that Roberson could have opted out of the 2021 season and entered his name in this spring’s NFL Draft, but said he didn’t think Roberson returned in some effort to prove his durability to professional scouts.

“Reggie is a great player who is going to be a good pro,” Gru said. “I don’t think he’s back to prove anything to anyone. Both of his injuries were freakish-type deals. Look at his track record: he doesn’t miss practice … ever. He doesn’t have nagging injuries. He had two injuries, but there is a difference between having injuries and being injury-prone. Two years in a row, he had a season-type deal, but he’s not injury-prone. He could have left and been fine, but he has a real, emotional attachment to this place. I think he wants to see it through.

“He has worked incredibly hard to get back, and his teammates have noticed. When he got back in the individual drills with us, I think most of the other wide receivers’ jaws just dropped.”

Gru said he is not sure whether Roberson will wear any kind of protective brace on his knee in 2021, but when asked if Roberson could play if the Mustangs had a game today: “Yes.”

Roberson’s return means the Mustangs have back their top three wide receivers from a year ago. Despite playing in less than four full games, Roberson finished fifth on the team with 22 receptions and third with 474 yards. Sophomore Rashee Rice led the Mustangs with 48 receptions and 683 yards, and tied Roberson and tight end Kylen Granson for the team lead with five receiving touchdowns. Danny Gray returns after finishing fourth on the team in receptions (33) and yards (448) and reached the end zone four times. Roberson and Rice both appear on the preseason watch list for this year’s Biletnikoff Award, which is given annually to the nation’s top receiver.

Wide receivers coach David Gru said he has been impressed by the amount of time the SMU receivers have spent working on their own with the quarterbacks (photo by SMU athletics).

Tyler Page has graduated, but Gru said the Ponies’ receivers’ improved depth will allow him to better utilize Roberson.

“He’s doing really good (in his rehab),” Gru said. “He has worked incredibly hard, and he’s ahead of schedule. It has been fun watching him work and get back to leading.

“I’ve been spoiled to have a guy like Reggie, and honestly, there were times that I maybe mismanaged him, keeping him in the game too long. He’s such a good player and such a fierce competitor that it can be hard to replace him. But the group is better this year, which will allow me to give him more rest, to play him fresh. He’s a guy who’s always going to bite off as much as he can chew, but our strength staff is doing an incredible job with him, and we’re going to use him in a way that allows us to keep him fresh — which makes him a better player and also protects him a little from the injuries that can happen with fatigue.”

Part of the improvement at the position will be from those who return from last year’s team, starting with Rice and Gray.

Gray arrived in Dallas last season from Blinn College and was thrown into the rotation right away without the benefit of a normal offseason and quickly emerged as a dangerous deep threat.

“I expect a leap — a huge leap — from Danny this year,” Gru said. “He really got the short end of the stick last year. We were asking him to carry a major part of the load without one day of an offseason — no team-building, no weights … he was as raw as he could be.

“He’s a great athlete and a great player, but I really felt bad for him. Athletically, he can handle it, but with a long season, there’s only so much you can do without proper training. I think it might have taxed him a little mentally, in terms of how sharp he was. It was hard for him to take on that load as a leader, because just trying to make it through a normal game week is a lot. Now, I think we’ll get a more realistic view of what kind of player Danny is. With the offseason, it has been incredible watching him — watching him grow, seeing how much he can handle. I think he has a real peace of mind now, so all he has to do is develop more consistency, but he’s going to help us win a lot of games.”

Rice also exceeded his position coach’s expectations, in large part because for the second year in a row, he did not enjoy a normal offseason program with his team. Prior to the 2019 season, he was an incoming freshman. Last year, the Mustangs got in just a handful of spring workouts before all organized activities were shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“For (Rice) to do what he did was very impressive,” Gru said. “His first year, of course he had no spring ball, and his second year, he had no spring ball or offseason. The funny thing about Rashee is that he is nowhere near his potential, nowhere near what he is capable of.

“This offseason, he has taken an impressive leap, and it has been really encouraging to see how far has pushed himself. He has put an emphasis on preparing to be the guy. He understands how important it is to train on an elite level if he wants to play at an elite level. There’s huge leaps of maturity that he has made, but what’s most exciting is how much more growth he can have, with his plays on the football and his consistency in the blocking game.”

Behind Roberson, Rice and Gray, the Mustangs have a more extensive stable of wideouts, despite the graduation of Tyler Page. Among them is Austin Upshaw, who Gru said is of critical importance to the passing game this season and potentially could have a playing future beyond college. Upshaw, who is listed as a senior in 2021 but could play an additional year in 2022 if he chooses, had 18 catches for 218 yards and a touchdown last season.

“I honestly think Austin Upshaw is the most valuable guy we have, and I say that because he can play all three positions,” Gru said. “His work ethic is elite, his maturity is elite and he can really run. He’s just so inexperienced. He just needs time to continue to run routes, get in and out of his breaks, make plays on the football.

“He made huge strides last year, and I’m really excited to see how he establishes his role this season. He has two years left to take his role and catapult himself into being the guy. He has played several roles since moving to receiver, but there is no reason a guy like him couldn’t play at the next level.”

Coach David Gru said Austin Upshaw, a converted former quarterback, is exceptionally valuable to the SMU offense because of his ability to play all of the receiver positions (photo by Patrick Kleineberg).

Joining the receiving crew in 2021 is Jordan Kerley, a transfer from Arizona State, who stood out to his new position coach right away when he arrived in Dallas.

“Jordan, athletically, measures up to everyone that we have — he made that impression from the jump,” Gru said. “What stands out to me is, one, his maturity and approach to the game. This dude is maniacally obsessed with football. The guys I have worked with who do the best aren’t on Twitter and (other) social media all day — they’re training and working hard and working after practice. Jordan is that guy.

“He is probably, pound for pound, the strongest guy we have in the room. I have watched him squat 475 as fast as some guys do 225 — he is extremely powerful. Then, on top of his athletic ability, Jordan has a lot of room to grow, in terms of understanding the game and route running. He knows it, and wants to work at it to get there. He has elite speed, elite ball skills and he can really leap. Having him work behind Reggie is going to be huge for his development. He has a chance to be an elite player.”

Not all of the 2021 wideouts are returning veterans; the Mustangs welcome a trio of heralded freshmen this season: Dylan Goffney, Jayleen Record and Roderick Daniels. Goffney enrolled a semester early and opened some eyes with his performance during the Mustangs’ spring drills.

“I don’t care who you’re going against: to be able to play at a consistent level as a freshman is extremely hard,” Gru said. “That’s what encouraged us about Dylan: he showed his maturity, the ability to be calm under pressure and maintain focus. He came in from high school and made some plays this spring, when the dude should have been at prom. There were times when the curve was a little slow in the spring, but after watching spring film and watching how he ran his routes, we can expect big jumps going forward.

“He showed us we didn’t miss on this guy. Now he has to be able to train and build that endurance to the level of the other guys, and keep developing his game to take over when the turnover happens.”

Daniels and Record were not a part of spring workouts, and therefore have some catching up to do, but Gru said both have a bright future. He said Daniels has a chance to make an immediate impact on special teams in the return game, but also “will push Rashee. He’s obsessed with the game, like (Kerley). All he cares about his football. He reminds me a little of James Proché that way: he’s obsessed with football, and while he’s not super-tall, he is really long for his frame. He’s an explosive guy who is extremely polished in route running for a guy just out of high school, and he’s going to help us. I think all of the new guys have a chance to help us.”

As encouraged as Gru is by what he has seen from his returning players and the newcomers entering the fold, the passing game will not be without its challenges. First among them is replacing quarterback Shane Buechele, who now is in camp with the Kansas City Chiefs. In two seasons at SMU, Buechele started 23 games, passing for 7,024 yards and 57 touchdowns. Vying for his role are transfer Tanner Mordecai, freshman Preston Stone and Derek Green.

“I don’t care what anyone says — it’s hard to replace a senior veteran quarterback, especially one like Shane Buechele, who did such an exceptional job for this program,” Gru said. “At the same time, when it comes to developing chemistry, what matters more than anything is how much time they spend with each other in the offseason, running routes and talking football. I have been really pleased with how much time these guys have spent with the quarterbacks, working with them and getting to know them off the field. That’s irreplaceable. These guys competing at quarterback — they’re working all the time to develop that chemistry. I have been around Jared Goff, around Davis Webb. These guys are doing the right things to create that.”

Another notable change in the 2021 passing game will be the absence of Granson, who was drafted in the spring by the Indianapolis Colts. Granson was a trusted target for Buechele in 2020, grabbing 35 passes for 536 yards and five scores. But Gru said Granson’s departure for the NFL does not mean the wide receivers will be obligated to take on larger roles.

“We have some talented tight ends, some veteran tight ends,” he said. “Grant (Calcaterra) came from Oklahoma where he produced a lot. Nolan (Matthews) came from Arizona State — he’s going to be really good. We have Tommy McIntyre back. We have some young guys.

“Those (tight ends) are going to be good, and the quarterbacks are going to be good.

“But I feel really good about my guys, too.”

Rashee Rice led the Mustangs in 2020 with 48 receptions and 683 receiving yards, and tied for the team lead with five receiving touchdowns (photo by SMU athletics).