Darian Mensah on Miami Transfer, NFL Goals & Hurricanes’ Loaded Offense | Sports Illustrated

Brian Fisher here at ACC Media Day for Sports Illustrated joined by SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings.

As you get to this event, what are you most excited for this, this coming season?

Yeah, I mean, I'm excited for a lot of things, you know.

First off, it's been my last year, so, you know, I'm just trying to go with a bang.

I think that's the main thing, but just having the new teammates around me, you know, we got.

Almost a brand new team.

We got a lot of transfers, a lot of freshmen coming in, so I'm just, you know, ready to go out there and just make plays with them and see how we operate on that.

Does, does it feel different being your, your last fall camp that you're going into a little bit?

Honestly, don't feel much different, but I mean, you know, it's in my mind for sure .

You know, this is last year, you know, it's gonna be, um, more urgency to, you know, get things right and all of that.

So it's just a little bit.

And finally healthy, it seems like , right?

Yes sir.

You know, last year was kind of tough, you know, week two got hurt, um, ankle injury, and throughout the year just kept bothering me each and every week.

So, you know , this year I don't feel that right now.

So I'm just ready to go, you know, play healthy.

Did you, did you find yourself kind of trying to manage that at times just to kind of get through the week?

It's definitely was times, you know, practice kind of looked different for me throughout the week and things like that, but it was definitely times I try to manage it and just, you know, try to get to certain.

In terms of your supporting cast, got, got some new faces there certainly in the backfield and the wide receiver.

Uh, who, who stood out for you in, in spring ball and who are you excited to see going into full camp?

Yeah, from the transfers definitely, um, Kendrick Rafael, our running back, you know, he's, um, great guy.

You know, we saw him last year at the end of the end of the year versus Cal, you know, he kind of broke our heart, but, um.

You know, he's a great addition to our running back room .

You know, glad to have him on my team.

You know, he's a dog, hard worker, and all of that .

And just for returning guys, you know, Yamir Knight, you know, um, you don't get the recognition he deserves.

You know, he's a great, great player, great playmaker with the ball in his hand, you know, if you turn on the film and watch him, you'll see all of that.

So Yamir Knight for sure, as, as the quarterback, you're, you're, you're obviously the leader of the team, especially going into your final season.

How, how do you make sure that those guys get, get comfortable, get, get embedded in, in your team?

I think it's kind of easy honestly when new guys come in, you know, our culture is just so well, you know, every player on our team just hangs out with each other, get along with each other.

I just think it's kind of easy.

Come in, be yourself.

I think that's my main thing.

I just try to be myself in the locker room, you know, on the field, all of that.

I think it just helps everybody else build the.

Confidence in themselves.

Your, your head coach is, is heavily involved in the offense, obviously, but you do lose your offensive coordinator to a head coaching gig.

What's changed, uh, there, there in the quarterback room?

Nothing at all.

You know, we had the same quarterback coach with D'Ari King.

He's a great coach.

We got coached last year, you know, he helped along the quarterbacks as well, so.

Nothing really changed, you know.

Cliff Latch, um, offensive guru, you know, things are going to be just fine.

Uh, you're, you're coming up in terms of, uh, maybe passing your, your quarterback coach's numbers there.

Uh, do you ever talk about how, how close you're getting in terms of, uh, where Derek was there at Houston versus where you?

Yeah, we talked about it once.

I think I looked at it.

I'm like.

Probably like 1000 or something like that off, but, um, you know, it'd be a fun thing just to, you know, go ahead of him, you know, such a great player like that, and you got a couple of career records there for or school records there as well.

You got a couple more that you're trying to go for.

Do you, do you also eye those in terms of where you want to be ultimately at the end of the season?

I definitely eye them, and, um, you know, I think the goal is, you know, just win ball games and all of that will come.

So yeah.

When , when you think back a couple of years ago, you guys obviously get to the ACC championship game, lose on a heartbreaker.

Certainly at the end you go into the playoffs.

How much is that kind of a motivate motivating factor going into this season to end on a high note?

Yeah, it definitely motivated me a lot, you know, just looking back at the Clemson game, the ACC championship, you know, we didn't get the job done and the same thing with Penn State, you know, in the playoffs, we didn't get the job done.

But just looking back at all of that, you know, there's things that we could have done better and, um, things that in the back of our mind we get the opportunity again, the same thing wouldn't happen.

You guys will be back here in Charlotte for the ACC title game if.

If we just be ourselves, you know, um, we have the team to do it.

Um, I have the support cast around me, you know, our defense is really great, you know, they showed us in spring how great they were, but, um, you know, we just be ourselves and go out there and just play with full confidence, we'll be in the ACC championship.

OK, pick me out somebody from that defense that, uh, caught your eye there in spring practice.

Yeah, I think the guys I went to high school, I mean, you know, they know my game so well, so they came in this past year.

you got Jimmy Warrick.

You got Javon Thomas.

Those guys are, you know, playmakers on, on that side of the ball, and they challenge me each and every day to make me better.

OK.

You, you are Mr.

Dallas.

Uh, you, you won, you won a high school title there, uh, there in South Oak Cliff for the first time in, in, in decades, uh, obviously leading SMU to back to the prominence.

What, what does it mean just for, for you to, to be that guy in the, in the city of Dallas?

Yeah, it truly means a lot, you know, just growing up in the city of Dallas, you know, dreaming of the stuff I'm doing since a kid, you know, everything is coming to reality now, so it's just honestly a blessing that I had the chance to play in my hometown, you know, at first I was committed to Missouri State actually, and, you know, got the offer from SMU, committed there, you know, it was, it was on from there.

So I'm just grateful to have the opportunity to play.

And, and you've seen like the growth of, of SMU over just over your course of your tenure, right?

Yeah, yeah, definitely, um, you know, starting out freshman year, I'll just talk about the atmosphere, you know, um.

Starting out there with no fans of the game, and you know, as we continue to go up when we got Dallas behind us, Dallas supporting us, so it's just amazing to see.

Now the school's launched a Heisman campaign around you.

Was there much conversation with you?

Are you, are you, are you getting some input on that?

There's a little bit of conversation, but you know, at the end of the day, you know.

Um, it's not really input for me, you know, I'm just, uh, trying to win ball games, you know, let my PR team handle that, but, um, that's really about it, honestly.

So, so in terms of, uh, the actual making it to New York, what, what needs to happen?

What are you, what are you excited for going into the season?

Yeah, I think if we win the ballgame, so everything will handle itself, um, if we just.

Be consistent throughout the year.

You know, last year was kind of inconsistent.

Lost some games that we shouldn't have lost, but this year we just handle business.

I think my name will definitely be in the.

We're excited to see what happens there on the field there in Dallas.

Kevin Jennings, the SMU quarterback, thank you so much for joining us here at ACC Media Day.

Yes sir.

Thank you.