Analyzing SMU QB position for 2023 season

SMU Football heads into 2023 with a new signal caller at the helm. In large part, the American Athletic Conference Championship hopes for the Mustangs hinge on how Preston Stone performs in Year 1 as the starter.

The contender

As much as we want to give Kevin Henry-Jennings his due for how he played as a true freshman, this is Stone’s job. He came in at critical moments and delivered for SMU in relief of Tanner Mordecai. He wasn’t perfect, but the Dallas native showed flashes of what made him a four-star prospect coming out of Parish Episcopal. He made one start in six games played before being lost with a collarbone injury the rest of the year. Stone flashed impressive playmaking ability during his time last year.

He completed 28-of-48 passes for 388 yards and two touchdowns while adding 14 carries for 63 yards and two scores. He almost led a comeback against Cincinnati, completing six-of-15 passes against the Bearcats. Stone’s always been a player that teammates gravitate toward when he’s out there. He brings that juice and energy for SMU. He averaged eight yards per attempt last year, which would rank in the Top 25 of teams in the country. Stone’s got the tools. Now, it’s time for him to produce in a big way for the Mustangs in 2023.

The darkhorse

With it being Stone’s job, Henry-Jennings is the darkhorse in that sense. He came on in relief when Stone went down against Tulsa and Tanner Mordecai went down against Memphis, managing his time well. Against Memphis, he engineered a critical 16-play, 91-yard touchdown drive before the half to tie the game while eating up 6:27 of clock. That and how he handled the Tulsa game, where he wasn’t asked to do a whole lot, but still finished 8-of-11 for 91 yards and a touchdown, was another good sign the future is bright. Now, he’s added more mass to his body and looks like a player who’s been on a college campus for a full year. He’s a strong backup for SMU and is expected to eventually start for the Mustangs.

Cinderella story

Which one do you pick? True freshman Keldric Luster or veteran signal caller and Iowa transfer Alex Padilla? We’ll go with Padilla though as Luster is expected to redshirt. A backup at Iowa who did start three games in four years over 13 games, Padilla comes in as a nice insurance piece for the Mustangs. Stone did get hurt last year and will have to play it safe as he runs with the ball. Jennings is a capable backup from what he’s shown as well. If both somehow go down, SMU does have a veteran to turn to. The true Cinderella story would be if Padilla ended up having to take serious snaps and turned in strong showings that keeps the Mustangs in a conference championship discussion.

Biggest question for SMU QBs

Downfield passing is something the offense has always done well with. Stone’s been able to find some success with that at times, but he’s got to continue to improve. The wide receivers for the Mustangs are explosive enough to go down the field and make plays. The biggest question will be can Stone keep up that pace of explosive plays as he takes over the offense. His deep bomb to Rashee Rice to open the Tulsa game was a great sign and he found some nice windows against that tough pass defense. Doing that consistently week in, week out is what SMU needs to see from Stone. If that comes together, Stone should be able to have the Mustangs among the top offenses nationally once again.

Prediction

Will it take long for Stone to settle in as the starter? The Mustangs welcome Louisiana Tech to town for the season opener and while Sonny Cumbie’s team will look different in Year 2, it should be a good game to start off with for Stone. Then you head to Oklahoma and that’ll be a sign of where Stone is at. If he checks that box, look out. He came in big moments against Cincinnati and came up clutch at times. We’re not expecting the moment to be too big for him, which should be the final hurdle for SMU’s chances of having the type of year expected. We think Stone ends up being one of the top two quarterbacks in the American and leads SMU to a conference championship berth in Year 1 as the starter. That’s the expectation and we feel it happens.