The 2025 SMU Mustangs football team represent Southern Methodist University (SMU) as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by Rhett Lashlee in his fourth year as head coach. The Mustangs played their home games at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in University Park, Texas.

The SMU Mustangs drew an average home attendance of 33,530.

Transfers Incoming Name Pos. Height Weight Hometown Previous School Addison Nichols OL 6'5" 312 lbs Norcross, GA Arkansas Deshawn Warner EDGE 6'4" 215 lbs Goodyear, AZ Kansas Christopher Johnson RB 5'11" 169 lbs Fort Lauderdale, FL Miami (FL) Joshua Bates OL 6'3" 280 lbs Durango, CO Oklahoma Zakye Barker LB 5'11" 220 lbs Norcross, GA East Carolina Trey Wilson DL 6'3" 245 lbs Garland, TX Baylor Damarjhe Lewis DL 6'3" 301 lbs Griffin, GA Purdue Eric Taylor DL 6'4" 280 lbs Trussville, AL Mississippi State Ryan Collins P 6'3" 220 lbs Santa Clara, CA Cal Poly Zion Nelson OT 6'5" 307 lbs Sumter, SC Miami (FL) Tyler Van Dyke QB 6'4" 229 lbs Glastonbury, CT Wisconsin Jeffrey M'Ba DL 6'6" 315 lbs Independence, KS Purdue Marcellus Barnes CB 5'11.5" 170 lbs Chattanooga, TN Syracuse Morgan Tribbett LS 5'11" 230 lbs Eaton, CO Colorado State Terry Webb DL 6'3" 300 lbs Galveston, TX Texas State T.J. Harden RB 6'2" 215 lbs Los Angeles, CA UCLA Jahkai Lang EDGE 6'3" 234 lbs Troy, MO Missouri William Spencer DL 6'5" 315 lbs New Albany, IN Louisville Aakil Washington EDGE 6'3" 218 lbs Marietta, GA South Alabama Keveionta Spears DL 6'4" 297 lbs Baton Rouge, LA Memphis Yamir Knight WR 5'9" 180 lbs Smyrna, DE James Madison Dylan Goffney WR 6'1" 195 lbs Cypress, TX Colorado State James Larson TE 6'4" 235 lbs St. Charles, IL UConn

Outgoing Name Pos. Height Weight Hometown New School Preston Stone QB 6'2" 210 lbs Dallas, TX Northwestern Jahari Rogers CB 6'0" 180 lbs Arlington, TX Colorado State Carter Campbell WR 6'0" 196 lbs San Antonio, TX Northern State Omari Abor DL 6'4" 255 lbs Duncanville, TX CSU Pueblo Tyler Aronson QB 6'2" 200 lbs North Palm Beach, FL Trinity (CT) Jamarion Carroll WR 6'2" 195 lbs Wichita Falls, TX Midwestern State Jackson Waller P 6'3" 195 lbs Katy, TX Arkansas State LJ Johnson RB 5'10" 205 lbs Cypress, TX California Reagan Gill OT 6'6" 315 lbs Houston, TX McNeese Zach Smith LB 6'1" 200 lbs Red Oak, TX Western Kentucky Qae'shon Sapp IOL 6'5" 320 lbs Leesburg, GA Florida Atlantic Jaylan Knighton RB 5'9" 195 lbs Deerfield Beach, FL West Virginia Ashton Cozart WR 6'2.5" 182 lbs Flower Mound, TX Kentucky Mike Yoan Sandijo-Nijiki DL 6'2" 302 lbs Keller, TX Washington State Sam Eccles P 5'11" 179 lbs Austin, TX South Dakota Mines A.J. Davis CB 5'10" 177 lbs Dallas, TX Washington State Eric Taylor DL 6'4" 280 lbs Trussville, AL Coastal Carolina Keldric Luster QB 5'10" 227 lbs Frisco, TX Texas State David Abiara EDGE 6'4" 284 lbs Mansfield, TX Texas State Randy Reece WR 5'10" 190 lbs Dallas, TX East Texas A&M Will Benton IV LS 6'1" 220 lbs Atlanta, GA Georgia Tech

Schedule

Rankings

SMU was ranked in preseason polling for the first time since 1985.

Personnel

Game summaries East Texas A&M (FCS)

Statistics ETAMSMU First downs 17 25 Total yards 78–351 63–400 Rushing yards 35–107 33–140 Passing yards 244 260 Passing: comp–att–int 20–43–2 22–30–1 Turnovers 3 3 Time of possession 38:59 21:01 Team Category Player Statistics East Texas A&M Passing Eric Rodriguez 14/30, 191 yards, INT Rushing JaiSean McMillian 4 carries, 31 yards Receiving Devin Matthews 4 receptions, 87 yards SMU Passing Kevin Jennings 22/30, 260 yards, 2 TD, INT Rushing Chris Johnson Jr. 6 carries, 44 yards, TD Receiving Romello Brinson 7 receptions, 121 yards, TD SMU handily defeated East Texas A&M 42–13. SMU's defense returned two interceptions for touchdowns. They allowed the Lions to enter the red zone six times during the game, but only half of those trips resulted in scores. Quarterback Kevin Jennings threw for a 63-yard touchdown pass on the first drive of the game and scored two others, but he also threw an interception and lost the ball on a fumble. The team also incurred nearly 100 yards of penalties during the game. Two starters for the team, linebacker Alex Kilgore and wide receiver Jordan Hudson, suffered injuries early in the game.

Baylor

Statistics BAYSMU First downs 32 23 Plays–yards 94–601 66–458 Rushes–yards 44–161 44–163 Passing yards 440 295 Passing: comp–att–int 34–50–0 16–22–1 Turnovers 2 1 Time of possession 32:36 27:24 Team Category Player Statistics Baylor Passing Sawyer Robertson 34/50, 440 yards, 4 TD Rushing Bryson Washington 31 carries, 115 yards, 2 TD Receiving Josh Cameron 9 receptions, 151 yards, 2 TD SMU Passing Kevin Jennings 16/22, 295 yards, 3 TD, INT Rushing T. J. Harden 19 carries, 115 yards, 3 TD Receiving Romello Brinson 4 receptions, 126 yards, 2 TD Baylor, a former rival from both teams' time in the now-defunct Southwest Conference, narrowly upset SMU 48–45 in double overtime. SMU has not defeated Baylor since 1986, losing the last 14 matchups between the teams.

Both teams had impressive showings on offense. Quarterback Kevin Jennings threw for three touchdowns during the game, including two 75-yard touchdown passes in the first half, but Baylor made up this deficit, tying the game in the third quarter. Running back TJ Harden then scored two touchdowns to put the team up by 14 points with only 5 minutes to go, but the team's defense allowed Baylor to tie the game very quickly. Kicker Collin Rogers then missed a walk-off field goal after having missed another earlier, sending the game to overtime.

Both teams scored quickly in the first overtime period, sending the game to a second overtime. SMU's offense failed to score a touchdown, and Rogers missed another field goal leading into Baylor's possession, which allowed them to win the game with a walk-off field goal of their own.

The loss to Baylor put a significant damper on the team's hopes of making the College Football Playoff for a second year in a row, but some have compared it to their loss to BYU early in the previous season. Following the game, SMU reopened its kicking competition in response to Rogers' missed field goals.

at Missouri State

Statistics SMUMOST First downs 24 19 Plays–yards 70–448 65–328 Rushes–yards 34–167 27–53 Passing yards 281 275 Passing: comp–att–int 24–36–1 23–38–3 Turnovers 2 3 Time of possession 28:30 31:30 Team Category Player Statistics SMU Passing Kevin Jennings 24/36, 281 yards, TD, INT Rushing T. J. Harden 15 rushes, 96 yards, 2 TD Receiving Jalen Cooper 5 receptions, 68 yards Missouri State Passing Jacob Clark 23/37, 275 yards, TD, 3 INT Rushing Shomari Lawrence 13 rushes, 44 yards Receiving Dash Luke 5 receptions, 80 yards, TD

at TCU (rivalry)

Statistics SMUTCU First downs 19 24 Plays–yards 65–384 77–517 Rushes–yards 27–94 37–138 Passing yards 290 379 Passing: comp–att–int 24–38–2 22–40–1 Turnovers 2 1 Time of possession 28:54 31:06 Team Category Player Statistics SMU Passing Kevin Jennings 24/38, 290 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT Rushing T. J. Harden 15 carries, 56 yards Receiving Yamir Knight 5 receptions, 69 yards, TD TCU Passing Josh Hoover 22/40, 379 yards, 5 TD, INT Rushing Trent Battle 7 carries, 60 yards Receiving Eric McAlister 8 receptions, 254 yards, 3 TD

This game was the final meeting of the "Battle for the Iron Skillet" rivalry between SMU and TCU for the foreseeable future. At the start of the 2023 season, TCU announced it was not renewing its contract with SMU to play the game after more than 100 years of near-continuous play, preferring to schedule more non-conference games against teams in power conferences.

Syracuse

Statistics SYRSMU First downs 18 21 Plays–yards 78–389 64–370 Rushes–yards 33–110 28–76 Passing yards 279 294 Passing: comp–att–int 22–45–3 30–36–1 Turnovers 3 1 Time of possession 31:25 28:35 Team Category Player Statistics Syracuse Passing Rickie Collins 22/45, 279 yards, TD, 3 INT Rushing Rickie Collins 10 carries, 57 yards, TD Receiving Johntay Cook II 7 receptions, 82 yards, TD SMU Passing Kevin Jennings 29/35, 285 yards, 4 TD, INT Rushing T. J. Harden 16 carries, 67 yards Receiving Romello Brinson 7 receptions, 71 yards

Stanford

Statistics STANSMU First downs 23 17 Plays–yards 74–353 54–369 Rushes–yards 33–75 24–122 Passing yards 278 247 Passing: comp–att–int 22–41–1 22–30–0 Turnovers 2 0 Time of possession 36:30 23:30 Team Category Player Statistics Stanford Passing Ben Gulbranson 22/40, 278 yards, TD, INT Rushing Cole Tabb 9 carries, 62 yards Receiving CJ Williams 7 receptions, 109 yards, TD SMU Passing Kevin Jennings 22/30, 247 yards, 2 TD Rushing Chris Johnson Jr. 5 carries, 96 yards, TD Receiving Jordan Hudson 5 receptions, 87 yards

at Clemson

Statistics SMUCLEM First downs 21 20 Plays–yards 71–429 72–352 Rushes–yards 28–139 30–35 Passing yards 290 317 Passing: comp–att–int 23–43–1 29–42–0 Turnovers 1 0 Time of possession 28:45 31:15 Team Category Player Statistics SMU Passing Kevin Jennings 23/43, 290 yards, 2 TD, INT Rushing Chris Johnson Jr. 6 carries, 59 yards, TD Receiving Jordan Hudson 7 receptions, 131 yards, TD Clemson Passing Christopher Vizzina 29/42, 317 yards, 3 TD Rushing Adam Randall 10 carries, 29 yards Receiving T. J. Moore 5 receptions, 124 yards, 2 TD SMU defeated Clemson 35–24 in a rematch of the 2024 ACC Championship Game. Clemson starting quarterback Cade Klubnik did not play due to an ankle injury, with backup Christopher Vizzina taking his place for his first career start.

SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings reaggravated his own ankle injury during the first drive, but he did not exit the game. SMU scored first, with Jennings making a 70-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Hudson late in the first quarter. Vizzina lost a fumble on Clemson's second possession but later threw for a touchdown in the second quarter. Kicker Sam Keltner then made three long field goals to give SMU a 16–7 lead at halftime. Both teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter, with Clemson also scoring a field goal to shrink SMU's lead to one score. Both teams traded touchdowns in the fourth quarter until SMU scored a second touchdown with one minute left to pad their lead to two scores, leading to their 35–24 victory.

Many compared the game's environment, which took place at Clemson's stadium, nicknamed "Death Valley," to the previous season's ACC Championship game as well as SMU's game against Penn State in the first round of the 2024 College Football Playoff. All three took place in hostile road environments with large crowds. SMU had been characterized as unprepared for the two 2024 games, especially their blowout loss to Penn State, they maintained much stronger composure against Clemson, winning by two scores. SMU's defensive line also performed much better than earlier in the season, forcing three three-and-outs on Clemson's first four drives and a turnover on downs in the second quarter. Kicker Sam Keltner also showed improvement, making three long field goal attempts after having only made one out of four long attempts since taking over as starter.

at Wake Forest

Statistics SMUWAKE First downs 8 17 Plays–yards 67–246 72–301 Rushes–yards 28–75 35–85 Passing yards 171 216 Passing: comp–att–int 21–39–1 18–37–2 Turnovers 3 5 Time of possession 27:38 32:22 Team Category Player Statistics SMU Passing Kevin Jennings 21/39, 171 yards, INT Rushing Chris Johnson Jr. 8 carries, 29 yards Receiving RJ Maryland 2 receptions, 51 yards Wake Forest Passing Deshawn Purdie 14/26, 183 yards, 2 INT Rushing Demond Claiborne 23 carries, 73 yards Receiving Chris Barnes 5 receptions, 66 yards

No. 10т Miami (FL)

Statistics MIASMU First downs 23 20 Plays–yards 78–433 70–388 Rushes–yards 40–159 25–23 Passing yards 274 365 Passing: comp–att–int 26–38–2 29–45–0 Turnovers 2 1 Time of possession 37:42 22:18