D.J. Gillins
	Height	6-3
	Weight	210
	40-yard Dash	4.51

ESPN: ****
247sports: *** (**** out of high school)
Rivals: *** (**** out of high school)
Scout: ***

Last Year Statistics

29 pass attempts
18 completions
62 completion percentage
8 carries
55 yards
(Season ended after one game with knee injury)

Strengths as a Player

D.J. Gillins is a mobile, strong quarterback whose athleticism sometimes overshadows the fact that he is a very coachable student of the game who believes in the adage that “games are won in practice and in the film room” — a theory he adopted when playing on a high school team whose talent often didn’t match up to that across the line of scrimmage. A pass-first, run-second quarterback, Gillins prides himself on his ability to read defenses and, if necessary, hitting his checkdowns, only tucking the ball and taking off when the opportunity is there. He’s a smart player who has learned a lot of systems in recent years, going from high school to Wisconsin to Pearl River Community College before heading to SMU. At PRCC, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee in the first game of the season last year, but is recovering from surgery and hopes to participate at least on a limited basis in the Mustangs’ spring workouts.

Interviews

D.J. Gillins on why he chose SMU:

How was the recruiting process different the second time around? What did you learn the first time that helped you make your decision this time?

SMU is a great school, and I really loved the coaches on my visit. I sat down with Coach Morris and Coach Craddock and we talked a lot about the offense and the way they do things. The offense here is pretty amazing, and I wanted to be a part of something new and up-and-coming, and that’s what this team.

It really wasn’t that complicated — it just felt right. I’m telling you, I hurt a lot of people’s feelings by not going to Ole Miss, Southern Miss or Vanderbilt.