The 2013 season was basically a waste for SMU quarterback Conner Preston. Just about everyone assumed senior Garrett Gilbert would retain the starting quarterback, but it was universally assumed that Preston would spend his sophomore season competing to be Gilbert’s primary backup. Instead, he spent the season standing next to offensive assistant coach Hal Mumme, signaling in plays from the sideline thanks to an unusual circulatory issue: Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.

Quarterback Conner Preston spent the 2013 season signaling plays from the sideline while dealing with TOS (photo by PonyFans.com).

Known as “TOS,” the condition is defined by medicinenet.com as “a condition whereby symptoms are produced from compression of nerves or blood vessels, or both, because of an inadequate passageway through an area (thoracic outlet) between the base of the neck and the armpit.”

While his teammates played games in 2013, Preston stood, in uniform, flashing signals to Garrett before each play. During practice, Preston was largely an observer as his teammates ran drills. When the Mustangs lifted weights, Preston went through a specific regimen of exercises designed to help retrain the muscles in his arms and shoulders.

Now, as the Mustangs prepare for upcoming spring workouts, Preston said he plans to be on the field with his teammates, taking part in all drills. He said he is much stronger and has added about a dozen pounds from his 2013 playing weight, now carrying “204 or 205” pounds on his frame, with the additional bulk coming from increased work in the weight room and a revamped diet.

“I’m doing certain exercises … it’s not that I couldn’t do anything before, but there were certain things, things over my head (with the throwing arm), that were tough,” Preston said “Now I’m doing everything to get ready: benching, squatting, throwing — everything relevant to football.

“I’m throwing twice a week now. The other day, I threw one ball 68 yards, but I’ve always had pretty good arm strength. More than anything, I guess I feel rested. I have played baseball and football since I could walk. That’s a lot of wear and tear on my arm, so maybe I just needed to take this time off to feel healthy again.”

Preston said the time away from the practice field has reinvigorated his enthusiasm, not just for getting back into drills with his teammates, but also for the off-the-field work that every player must do.

“I have always been a pretty big lifter,” Preston said, “but now I get excited to get up to go lift weights. I missed playing this year. You get a little feel for it when you watch, but I want to be in the middle of everything. I’m stronger now, and I’m ready to focus on practice.”

As much as he would have preferred to be playing, or at least practicing, with his teammates, Preston said his year on the sideline has a chance to end up helping him become a better player in the long run.

“I learned so much from Coach Mumme, and you can’t help but learn a lot from Coach (June) Jones,” Preston said. “You’re talking about two guys who both know a little something about playing quarterback.”

Where Preston stands in the quarterback pecking order remains to be seen. Sophomore-to-be Neal Burcham was Gilbert’s understudy for much of the season, taking over when the Mustangs’ senior signal caller went down with a knee injury against South Florida and starting the final two games of the season. Jones also has said he is very impressed by the progress made by Garrett Krstich, who got his first college playing in the final game of his sophomore season when Burcham got knocked out of the final minutes of the season finale against UCF, and Kolney Cassel, who spent his true freshman season in 2013 as a redshirt. In addition, the Mustangs have two walk-on quarterbacks: Austin Kent and Cayman Carter.

“Coach Jones is always going to do what’s best for me, what’s best for my body and my life,” Preston said. “I know that. I know he has my best interest at heart and won’t put me in a position where I can’t protect myself. He said that if I feel good throwing, he would love to have me out on the field. He said I’ll get a chance to compete, but he always wants to do what’s best for me first.”

With that support from Jones, Preston said his intention is that he will be on the field when the Mustangs begin spring practices.

“That’s the plan,” he said. “I’m working out and throwing, and I’m looking forward to doing some seven-on-seven. As of now, as a competitive athlete, my focus is on myself. I’m going to work out and try to be the best I can be. I don’t really look at this as having to try to win the job from Neal or the other guys. To me, it’s more me competing against myself.”

One of the proposed remedies when Preston received the TOS diagnosis was the surgical removal of a rib on each side of his body — an option Preston said he is glad he did not choose.

“I really wasn’t excited about that idea. I didn’t feel that I was that (badly) injured. It doesn’t bother me in my daily life, unless I sleep on it wrong or something. If it starts to hinder me in my daily life, then I have to think about life after football, and that (rib removal) becomes an option I would have to consider. But so far, with rest and rehab, I have been able to control it.

“I feel good, I feel like I’m in shape. I wouldn’t say I’m in playing shape, but I have been running and lifting and doing what everybody else has been doing. It’s nice to be back to this level, and now it’s just another timetable before I’m really back all the way.”

When Gilbert showed a marked improvement between his first year at SMU in 2012 and his second, he pointed to fact that he was playing his second season I an offense for the first time in years, and the time he spent over the offseason working with his receivers. Preston said he sees the logic behind Gilbert’s explanation, and is trying to reap the benefits of a similar regimen.

“There’s a difference between learning the plays in a system and really knowing it,” Preston said. “You could see how much more comfortable Garrett was this year, not just because he had played a season of games, but because of the time he spent in the offseason studying the offense more with the coaches, watching film and throwing (with the receivers). We have a big group of receivers here now, and I’m getting out there with them. I know the plays, but I’m trying to improve my comfort level in the offense. A lot of this offense is about timing, and that’s something you can only create by doing it. That’s what I’m trying to do.”