SMU FOOTBALL WELCOMES SEVEN NEW PLAYERS

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

Valuable Additions Join Mustangs
Seven Student-Athletes Added To Football Roster

Jan. 20, 2009

DALLAS (SMU) - The start of the spring semester has brought several valuable additions to the SMU football roster. The football team has picked up junior college standout Marquis Frazier, transfers Shawnbrey McNeal and J.J. McDermott, world-record discus thrower Margus Hunt and grayshirts Josh Emshoff, Zach Line and Robert Parker.

Frazier, a 6-4, 260-pound defensive lineman, enrolled on the Hilltop and will have three seasons to play at SMU. A three-star Rivals.com prospect, Frazier attended Navarro College for the past 18 months and played in 2007 before missing 2008 with an injury. In 2007, Frazier notched 12 tackles and two sacks and was expected to be a starter for the Bulldogs in 2008. He has since fully recovered from his injury and will be eligible and ready to play in 2009. As a high school senior at Garland High School, Frazier held offers from Arkansas, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. Rivals.com rated Frazier as the nation's 42nd-best strongside defensive end and Texas' 75th-best overall prep prospect in 2007.

McNeal, a 5-10, 190-pound running back, is transferring to SMU from Miami (Fla.), where he rushed for 152 yards and three TDs in two seasons. A Dallas native, the three-star Rivals.com prospect attended Madison High School and was a first-team All-State selection as a senior after posting 139 carries for 1,441 yards and 20 touchdowns. He was also a two-time 100-meter 3A state champion in track. SMU will submit a waiver request to the NCAA on McNeal's behalf, requesting that he be eligible this fall.

A 6-5, 220-pound quarterback, McDermott comes to SMU from New Mexico State, where he was the primary backup signal caller for the last two seasons. As a sophomore in 2008, McDermott completed 20 of 34 passes for 246 yards. In his freshman campaign, McDermott started for the Aggies at Louisiana Tech. He had a solid game, completing 29 of 40 passes for 319 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. McDermott will sit out the 2009 season per NCAA transfer rules.

Hunt, a 6-7, 270-pound world-class athlete, is the current world junior record holder in discus throw. Hunt has been enrolled at SMU since the fall of 2007, training privately with SMU's world-renowned track & field coach Dave Wollman. Hunt won gold medals in both the shot and the discus at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Beijing, becoming the first junior athlete ever to win a shot/discus gold medal double. Hunt will play offensive or defensive line for SMU. He will be eligible in the fall.

Also enrolling were Emshoff, Line and Parker, all of whom signed with SMU last February. Emshoff, an offensive lineman, was ranked No. 66 among guards nationally by Scout.com. A linebacker, Line was an all-state pick as a senior after notching a team-high 154 tackles. Parker, a defensive lineman as a prep, was a three-star Rivals.com prospect and district Defensive MVP. He had 52 tackles through nine games as a senior. All three will be eligible in the fall.

These seven student-athletes and the rest of the Mustangs will kick off Spring Practice on March 30th.

[White Helmet]

Shot and Disc guy, very interesting looks like a excellent athlete from his resume, lets see if it transfers to the field

[Pony Soup]

gooooooooooo ponies!!!

[BleedingRed+Blue]

That weight must be Frazier's weight coming out of high school. Everything I've read suggests he's substantially bigger than that now.

[Mustangsabu]

Lets hope we can attract more athletes like this. I like the way that JJ is thinking outside the box for linemen....let's hope it works.

[RGV Pony]

That weight must be Frazier's weight coming out of high school. Everything I've read suggests he's substantially bigger than that now.

DMN lists him at 290. That's more like it.

[OC Mustang]

I know Hunt has another thread going...

...but that looks like he could be one athletically pedigreed bad mudderfudder...he's a friggin' mutant...please Lord, let him be able to play good football?

[Casey]

I know Hunt has another thread going...

...but that looks like he could be one athletically pedigreed bad mudderfudder...he's a friggin' mutant...please Lord, let him be able to play good football?

Couldn't agree with you more!

[Get_Some_Ponies]

The discus guy is horrifying. I would assume he knows how to use his hands and he's obviously got good footwork. And at 6'7" pass blocking shouldn't be that hard to figure out.

[ALEX LIFESON]

Margus Hunt will start out at DE.

[OC Mustang]

Margus Hunt will start out at DE.

Don't care where he starts so long as he oft-finishes standing over many quarterbacks laying flat on their backs, coughing to catch their breath.