3,600-Yard QB Named College Football’s Most Underrated Star Entering 2026 Season

SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings has thrown for nearly 7,700 career passing yards, led the Mustangs to 19 wins as a starter and carried the program to its first College Football Playoff appearance. Somehow, the national conversation still treats him like an afterthought.

CBS Sports' Shehan Jeyarajah laid out the case for Jennings as one of college football's most overlooked signal-callers this week, writing that the South Dallas native ranks top 10 nationally among returning quarterbacks in career passing yards, passing touchdowns, total yards and wins.

Only USC's Jayden Maiava threw for more yards last season among Power Four quarterbacks returning to their programs.

And yet, Jennings sits at 100-to-1 Heisman odds, 33rd on the board, behind first-time starters like Louisville's Lincoln Kienholz and Florida's Aaron Philo.

Why Kevin Jennings doesn't get the national recognition he deserves

SMU is still building a brand in the ACC, and quarterbacks at programs without decades of Power Four history tend to get overlooked in preseason award races. SMU quarterback coach D'Eriq King told Jeyarajah as much: "I think he's a top-five quarterback. And I think if people would turn the tape on and get over the logos, they'll see the same thing."

Head coach Rhett Lashlee has been even more direct in recent weeks, taking to social media to argue that Jennings belongs on top-10 quarterback lists that excluded him entirely. Lashlee pointed to the numbers during a May press conference, noting that Jennings owns the best winning percentage (.731) of any returning Power Four quarterback in the country at 19-7.

Southern Methodist Mustangs quarterback Kevin Jennings (7) runs with the ball during the game against the East Texas A&M Lions at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"What he did last year, he was hurt, goes out and throws for 365 and beats Miami," Lashlee said. "He's a winner, and so I hope people will start to give him, forget SMU, give him the respect he deserves as a player on his own."

Jennings also carries one of the more compelling origin stories in the sport. He grew up in South Oak Cliff, just 12 miles from SMU's campus, and his only Division I offer was from Missouri State until Lashlee happened to attend one of his high school playoff games.

He led South Oak Cliff to a state championship and signed with the Mustangs as a three-star recruit. That arc from overlooked local kid to ACC-caliber starter is a Heisman voter's dream, if anyone bothers to tell it.

The case against Kevin Jennings as a Heisman contender

Jeyarajah's reporting does an excellent job explaining why Jennings is undervalued. Where the argument gets shaky is the leap from underrated to Heisman contender.

Start with the conference. The ACC is a clear second tier behind the SEC and Big Ten in the current power structure of college football, and SMU is not even the consensus best team in that league. Miami is the preseason ACC favorite across every major outlet. The Mustangs are hovering in the low 20s nationally, with ESPN's SP+ slotting them at No. 28 and CBS Sports at No. 23.

The statistical bar is brutal, too. Jeyarajah noted that the last four Heisman-winning quarterbacks averaged 3,797 passing yards, 444 rushing yards and 45 total touchdowns in the regular season. Jennings threw for 3,641 yards and produced 30 total touchdowns. Without significant contributions as a runner, adding another 15 total touchdowns is a huge ask.

Can Kevin Jennings lead SMU back to Charlotte? ⭐@Kevin8Jennings returns to Dallas after throwing for 3,641 yards and accounting for 30 touchdowns in 2025. With the Mustangs eyeing another ACC Championship Game appearance, @Wesbryant_72 breaks down why Jennings is one of the… pic.twitter.com/NsvwaT7Yvz
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) June 26, 2026

That task gets harder without a clear No. 1 receiving option. SMU returned Yamir Knight and added East Carolina transfer Yannick Smith this offseason, but neither profiles as the kind of 1,200-yard target who can drag a quarterback into the Heisman conversation through volume alone.

None of this diminishes what Jennings has done or what he can do. He is an excellent college quarterback with a remarkable story, and it is fair to say he does not receive the credit his production warrants.

But the gap between "underrated" and "Heisman Trophy winner" is enormous, and the conditions required to close it are stacked against Jennings and the Mustangs in ways that go beyond name or program recognition.

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