The Athletic: Is SMU becoming the third-best team in Texas?
Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2021 10:32 amAri Wasserman of the Athletic wrote, in responding to a question as to how worried schools like Baylor and TCU should be about the Ponies:
"I will say this about SMU, it is one of the programs that has benefitted the most from this chaotic summer. The one-time transfer rule allows great players from Texas who have left the state to return more easily, its location in Dallas makes it an NIL dream and the expanded playoff will provide a path for American teams to play at the highest level. And I'll double down on the Playoff talk. The case can be made that the best team in the American has an easier path to the Playoff now than middle-tier teams in the Power 5 conferences because there's no Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Clemson or Oregon waiting for it at the end of the road.
"SMU is accumulating talent at a very high level for a Group of 5 team. It picked up a pair of commitments this month in four-star teammates Jordan Hudson and Chace Biddle, who rank among the top 115 players nationally. They will join an SMU roster that has four-star quarterback Preston Stone, a top-115 player who signed with the Mustangs in the 2021 class.
"The SMU sales pitch has staying power. It is a great academic school, it's made strides in connecting with the greater Dallas community and its fun brand of football can lead to competing at the highest level. When a top-tier four-star prospect chooses SMU now, it turns heads, but that could become a regular occurrence in the near future. Sonny Dykes has recruited Dallas very well, and as Group of 5 teams gain more inclusion in the system, there is less reason for top-tier prospects to leave the state.
"I'm not sure how much Baylor, TCU and Texas Tech have to "fear" SMU. We're talking about a state that has 53 players in the top 400 prospects nationally. There is more than enough to go around. But if I were to buy stock in any team after this transitional summer, I could be convinced that SMU is the best place for my money."
"I will say this about SMU, it is one of the programs that has benefitted the most from this chaotic summer. The one-time transfer rule allows great players from Texas who have left the state to return more easily, its location in Dallas makes it an NIL dream and the expanded playoff will provide a path for American teams to play at the highest level. And I'll double down on the Playoff talk. The case can be made that the best team in the American has an easier path to the Playoff now than middle-tier teams in the Power 5 conferences because there's no Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Clemson or Oregon waiting for it at the end of the road.
"SMU is accumulating talent at a very high level for a Group of 5 team. It picked up a pair of commitments this month in four-star teammates Jordan Hudson and Chace Biddle, who rank among the top 115 players nationally. They will join an SMU roster that has four-star quarterback Preston Stone, a top-115 player who signed with the Mustangs in the 2021 class.
"The SMU sales pitch has staying power. It is a great academic school, it's made strides in connecting with the greater Dallas community and its fun brand of football can lead to competing at the highest level. When a top-tier four-star prospect chooses SMU now, it turns heads, but that could become a regular occurrence in the near future. Sonny Dykes has recruited Dallas very well, and as Group of 5 teams gain more inclusion in the system, there is less reason for top-tier prospects to leave the state.
"I'm not sure how much Baylor, TCU and Texas Tech have to "fear" SMU. We're talking about a state that has 53 players in the top 400 prospects nationally. There is more than enough to go around. But if I were to buy stock in any team after this transitional summer, I could be convinced that SMU is the best place for my money."