Rhett Lashlee names Preston Stone as SMU's starting QB vs. Nevada

Head coach Rhett Lashlee and the SMU Mustangs have made the decision to start quarterback Preston Stone against Nevada on Saturday, according to Bill Embody.

Fellow quarterback Kevin Jennings is also expected to play in the game. The decision is not a surprising one, with most expecting Preston Stone to earn the starting job. However, both quarterbacks seem to be someone who Rhett Lashlee would be comfortable with under center.

Preston Stone has plenty of experience for SMU. He’s been with the program since 2021 when he took a redshirt while playing in three games. By 2023, he played in 12 games for the Mustangs, leading one of the best teams in the program’s recent history to an 11-3 record and an AAC Championship. He completed 59.9 percent of his passes for 3,197 yards and 28 touchdowns to only six interceptions last season. Stone also rushed for 198 yards and four touchdowns.

Now, Preston Stone will be tasked with leading SMU into the ACC.

For his part, Kevin Jennings appeared in eight games and made two starts during the 2023 season for SMU. That included the AAC Championship Game, which Preston Stone missed due to an injury. He proved to be talented in that playing time, completing 58.1 percent of his passes in 2023 for 618 yards and five touchdowns. He also ran for 142 yards and a touchdown.

Many expected Kevin Jennings to try his luck in the Transfer Portal. However, SMU was able to retain him and in doing so held on to an excellent option behind Preston Stone at quarterback.

For SMU, this is going to be the program’s first season in the ACC. The Mustangs are moving to the new conference alongside Stanford and California. It’s part of a massive shift in conference alignment, which is seeing the four power conferences all add teams.

The first ACC game for SMU is a big one too. At the end of September, the Mustangs are set to host the Florida State Seminoles. One of the best programs in ACC history, Florida State is coming off an unbeaten regular season where they won the conference. A win in that game would be a statement that SMU is ready to compete in the conference right away.

First, SMU needs to be focused on its non-conference schedule. That starts with Nevada in Week 0 and will include multiple games against Big 12 teams, including rival TCU the week before ACC play begins.