SMU quarterback Jennings making most of opportunities

SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings stepped into the top spot midway through the Navy game and has continued to take first-team reps this spring.

Jennings started the final two games of the season — the American Athletic Conference championship game and the Fenway Bowl — and has been QB1 through spring as Preston Stone continues to recover from his injury and surgery.

“It’s been pretty good. We’ve got a lot we still need to work on, obviously,” Jennings said. “Working in the spring, we’ve been taking large steps to getting better day by day, just making every day better. So, trying to get better every day.”

Back to his high school days of leading South Oak Cliff to a state championship Jennings earned the nickname, the Silent Assassin, due to his quiet nature. As a starting quarterback he is trying to become more vocal in his leadership.

“That’s one thing, development, but honestly, a leadership role,” Jennings said of what he wanted to work on this spring. “Pushing my team and being the voice of the team with Preston out right now. He’s being the voice and taking over that role right now.

“… Really being vocal, being more vocal because I’m not really a vocal guy. But being more vocal in leading the team. Also leading by  just working hard, making the team follow my lead.”

That’s something new SMU quarterbacks coach D’Eriq King has been working with Jennings on as he tries to add that to his arsenal.

“Kevin’s done a great job (this spring),” King said. “He’s the type of guy you tell something one time and he’ll come out here and correct it. So that’s really good. I think he’s done a great job of leading. That’s kind of the next step for Kevin, come out here and know what you’ve got to do, but also bring your best along. So that’s what we talk about every day. I think that he’s done a great job.”

Those players he can bring along include a talented wide receiver group. The Mustangs return 180 of the 198 catches by wide receivers last year, or 91%, and brought in a couple more options. It’s a group that can be big for SMU this year.

Jennings is making sure that if his number is called again this season, they will have put in the work to be in sync.

“We did a lot. We’ve got a lot of guys, we’ve got about six No. 1s,” Jennings said. “All of them could be the No. 1 somewhere else. Just being able to trust them, putting the ball in that area, knowing they can make a play for me, brings a lot of trust.”

In his two years at SMU, Jennings has been called into action several times. The first came as a true freshman in Week 8 at Tulsa when he played the end of the first half and the entire second half. He then put together a 90-plus-yard touchdown drive at the end of the first half against Memphis four weeks later.

This past season, he finished the game at Rice and prepped all week in case he needed to start the next game against UNT. He didn’t, but was then called into action against Navy before earning his first career starts against Tulane and Boston College.

That’s more experience than a lot of players get in their first two seasons in college. Now he’s trying to build off that in Year 3.

“The experience obviously came in the last two games,” Jennings said. “I started the last two games, just carrying that over, trying to get better. It’s been better than it was last year.”

One area that King would like to see Jennings take that next step is by not trying to hit a home run with every swing. There are times to go for the big play, but a lot of the time you just have to make the easy play.

“Kevin, he has the really good traits, he can make every throw. For him, in my opinion, it’s just getting the ball to the right guy,” King said. “We don’t got to make the spectacular play every play, because he’s capable of doing that. So just take what they give you and when those plays come, take the shots and let’s go play ball.”

And so far that’s exactly what Jennings is doing.

“Way more confidence,” Jennings said. “I’m out here playing with confidence knowing I’ve got the ability to make plays. Just taking that confidence to go out and play.”