Biggest concerns for SMU Football entering 2026

SMU is well-deserving of the hype it received ahead of fall camp. The Mustangs were 20th in the Coaches Poll and voted the second-best team in the ACC. Players all across the offense have been named on illustrious preseason watchlists, including Randy Pittman Jr, Joshua Bates and Addison Nichols. Kevin Jennings is expected to be one of the top returning quarterbacks in the country.

But like all other teams, SMU isn’t without its flaws. With fall camp approaching, there are a few primary concerns that head coach Rhett Lashlee and the staff will likely address.

Starting slow can’t happen this season for the Mustangs.

SMU has lost seven regular season games over the last three years. Five happened in the months of August and September. During SMU’s final year in the AAC, they dropped out-of-conference games to Oklahoma and TCU. In 2024, SMU barely dodged a loss to Nevada in Week 0, then did lose to BYU 18-15 just two games later. Last year, SMU dropped winnable games versus Baylor and TCU, starting the season 2-2 before getting back on track in ACC play.

A slow start simply can’t happen in 2026. SMU opens the season on the road against Florida State, plays an FCS opponent in UC Davis week two, and then plays another conference road game against Louisville. Losing either would make an ACC Championship appearance difficult, but dropping both would make it nearly impossible.

Florida State is not the team they once were, but playing against the Seminoles in front of 67,000 at Doak Campbell Stadium is a challenging game. Louisville is certainly the harder of the two matches, even though SMU is 2-0 against the Cardinals since joining the ACC. The Cardinals have one of the country’s best running backs in Isaac Brown and will come into the week three game battle-tested after playing Ole Miss in week one. If SMU starts the season 3-0, the rest of the season becomes far easier.

Pass defense woes can't continue this season.

SMU’s pass defense in 2025 was catastrophically bad. The Mustangs ranked 135th in average pass yards allowed, only outperforming Stanford. Opposing teams averaged two passing touchdowns a game. They were prone to major breakdowns, giving up nine passing touchdowns measuring 30+ yards.

It was horrendous, but resultantly 2026 can only be better. If SMU wants to make a playoff push, however, it needs to be a lot better. The Mustangs lost Isaiah Nwokobia and Ahmaad Moses, the two best pieces in the secondary, but brought in some promising transfers. Jarvis Lee is a dynamic playmaker from USF, and Texas A&M transfer Jayvon Thomas is expected to start at corner.

The rest of the secondary is more or less the same. Tyren Polley had a good freshman year and should only be better this season, as will Sael Reyes. Marcellus Barnes Jr. has high upside, but the rest of the returners simply need to improve. Jaelyn Davis-Robinson got burned repeatedly, as did Jaden Milliner-Jones and Speedy Nettles. All three will likely play this year, for better or worse.

The secondary will be tested early against Florida State’s Duce Robinson, one of the best wide receivers in the nation. With a nearly brand-new defensive line as well, the defense will remain a major question mark until proven otherwise.

Special teams play needs to be more consistent this season.

SMU had some ugly moments on special teams last year. Three missed field goals against Baylor. Multiple shanked punts, including a decisively detrimental one in the loss to Wake Forest. The missed game winner against Cal.

The Mustangs ranked dead last in the ACC in field goal percentage, second to last in converted PAT percentage, and only eighth in punting and kickoff yardage. Australian punter Wade McSparron is back, but SMU had to find a new answer at kicker after Sam Keltner transferred to Oklahoma State.

New Hampshire transfer Nick Reed will likely handle all field goals and PATs after making 25 of 32 field goals and averaging 62.3 yards on 69 kickoff attempts in 2025. He even made a 55-yarder against Maine. The junior certainly has the leg, but has also never played in an atmosphere as intense as the ones SMU will be walking into.

SMU has four kickers on the roster, so kickoff duties could be assigned to another player– or if Reed struggles, take over field goal duties too. Michael Slaba is a transfer from Tulsa with limited playing time, but averaged 60.1 yards on kickoffs his redshirt freshman season. Wiley Olson is a freshman recruit from Texas high school powerhouse Vandergrift, and Brendan Baird is a pickup from the SMU Men’s Soccer team.

Head coordinators need to take their play-calling and scheme designs to the next level.

My next two picks fall into the category of, “probably not an issue, but I’m nitpicking.” SMU lost both of its primary coordinators in the offseason, with offensive coordinator Casey Woods becoming the Missouri State head coach and defensive coordinator Scott Symons accepting a role on the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff.

Instead of rehiring, SMU promoted internally and named co-coordinators on both sides of the ball. Rob Likens, Garin Justice and D’Eriq King now share the title of co-offensive coordinator, while Maurice Crum Jr. and Rickey Hunley Jr. will become co-defensive coordinators. Crum Jr. will also call plays on defense. All five have extensive experience in the SMU experience and are obviously trusted by Lashlee, who will call the offensive plays.

Again, while Woods and Symons were no doubt important to SMU, I think the system will remain intact, especially with Lashlee still at the helm. All of the co-coordinators have proven themselves worthy of the title, but coaching departures will always be reason for worry.

The new WR1 needs to be a top wide receiver in the ACC this season.

This is easily my smallest concern. I actually think the 2026 receiving core has more depth than 2025, but might lack a definitive primary receiver. At the moment, Yamir Knight is the perceived leader of the group, coming off a five touchdown, 637-yard season. Though he performed well behind Jordan Hudson, he will need to elevate his game to become a true WR1.

Thankfully, he’ll have help. Jalen Cooper is back after a promising freshman season, and transfers Yannick Smith and Jalen Hale have major upside. Former pro baseball player Jordyn Adams could even become an instant gamechanger as a 26-year-old freshman. Throw in elite freshman recruits like X’Zavier Barnett and Aljour Miles, and the amount of targets should be no issue.

Like I said, this is a miniscule worry. Even if Knight isn’t some 1,000 yard receiver (Jordan Hudson wasn’t either), the Mustangs will make due with depth at wide receiver, a pair of strong tight ends and a much-improved run game.

Come week one, SMU can very easily blow all of these concerns away. I think this could be the most talented SMU team since joining the ACC, but they’ll have to prove it.

More on SMU Mustangs on SI

Stay up-to-date on SMU athletics by bookmarking SMU On SI.

Add us as a preferred source on Google