Freshmen report Sunday

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From Sunday's Dallas Morning News




SMU freshmen report Sunday
Three or more from Phil Bennett's first class may play this season

08/04/2002
By RICK ALONZO / The Dallas Morning News

UNIVERSITY PARK – Phil Bennett's first recruiting class reports Sunday in preparation for the SMU football season.

At least three freshmen have a chance to play this season, which begins Aug. 31 against Navy at Ford Stadium. It's a sign that there's work to be done for Bennett.

In his first year as SMU's coach, he doesn't have the luxury of redshirting all of the freshmen because there isn't enough depth at every position.

"I'm not just an automatic redshirt guy," Bennett said. "If they can help this team win, we'll find a way to use them."

He has already said he will not recruit junior college players at SMU, which means he must rely on recruiting and retaining players who can contribute as they mature past their first year.

Freshmen two-a-day workouts begin Tuesday. Veterans report Wednesday, with the first full-squad workouts beginning Friday.

Punter Ryan Mentzel of Midlothian is the only freshman assured of starting.

After that, Bennett needs to add depth on the offensive line. The two freshmen who distinguish themselves will be backups at tackle and guard, Bennett said.

Candidates for the spots include Grant Eidson, Chris Poulos, Martin Guidry and Mike Benson, as well as Dustin Morton and Chris Urbanus.

Anthony Barnett comes in as the most-heralded freshman. Last year at Carter he rushed for 1,096 yards on 130 carries, an average of 8.4 yards per attempt. Barnett was part of the 4x100 and 4x400 -meter relay teams that won state track championships this spring.

Robert Gilmore, a defensive back from Euless Trinity, is still recovering from a knee injury. He has not been cleared to play, Bennett said, and will redshirt this year.

Mark Hodges, who led Mesquite to a state championship last year, will compete with Donnie Gilray to be SMU's No. 3 quarterback.

Bennett said he must temper his expectations of this class with the knowledge that freshmen rarely make an impact at the Division I level.

"We've got to show some patience," Bennett said. "The worst thing in the world that can happen is to play a kid before he's ready."