Kevin Jennings is set to begin his third year as the starting quarterback for the SMU Mustangs. Expectations are already building around his return, as the program seeks to bounce back after missing both the ACC Championship Game and the College Football Playoff in 2025.
Kevin Jennings Returns as SMU Reloads for 2026 ACC Title Push
SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee was the first to extend a major scholarship offer to Jennings back in 2021 while he was still in high school. Since then, Jennings has developed into one of the top quarterbacks in college football, and Lashlee has already built a roster that appears strong enough to challenge for another ACC Championship Game appearance.
On Friday, Heather Dinich reported that, after speaking with Lashlee, SMU seems well-positioned for another strong season. According to her report, the Mustangs used the transfer portal effectively, particularly to strengthen their defense and running game, to boost Jennings’ game.
“Of course Kevin Jennings can go from good to great,” Dinich tweeted.
A major pickup in the portal was running back Kendrick Raphael, who earned honorable mention All-ACC honors last season after scoring 13 rushing touchdowns and recording 1,188 all-purpose yards. The Mustangs also landed defensive tackle Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder from Kansas State, who totaled 17 tackles and 1.5 sacks last season.
Lashlee also strengthened the roster by bringing in players such as tight end Randy Pittman, defensive end Marques White, and wide receiver Yannick Smith. The expectation is that this improved supporting cast will elevate Jennings’ performance heading into the 2026 season.
Lashlee also jokingly took issue with analyst Danny Kanell on SiriusXM for leaving Jennings off his list of the top 10 returning quarterbacks for 2026.
“I got a bone to pick with you, Danny,” Lashlee said. “He’s not in your top 10, man. I thought you were a ball knower. I was really looking forward to retweeting ball knower with you, and I couldn’t do it because you’re not. Here’s what I’ll say about Kevin. Kevin carried us last year, especially on offense, and so Kevin made a big jump from his first year to last year.
“For whatever reason, maybe it’s because we lost that last game in the two-minute drive and didn’t make it back to the ACC championship game and didn’t make it back to the playoff.”
MORE: Caleb Banks Injury: Third Broken Foot in 12 Months Pushes Florida DT Out of First-Round Contention
“He didn’t make the perceptive list of guys,” he continued. “Look, there’s a great QB class coming back next year. But there’s no list that starts with him not in the top 10. What he’s done for two years, what he’s capable of doing next year, I think we’ve got a much better supporting cast around him on offense coming into this next season.
“But what I hope is that he’ll get more respect in the offseason going into next year as a top-10 caliber quarterback and a Heisman contender instead of people forgetting about him and just going to the usual brands and the usual suspects and being lazy.”
Jennings threw for 3,641 yards, 26 touchdowns, and a 66.0% completion percentage in 2025, while adding four rushing touchdowns. His performance earned him an 81.6 grade in the PFSN College Football QB Impact Metric, ranking him No. 47 nationally.
