Will SMU QBs Preston Stone, Kevin Jennings continue competition for starting job into season?

SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee’s built a program on competition. The quarterback position is no different even with a returning starter in Preston Stone.

When speaking with the media on Wednesday, offensive coordinator Casey Woods said a decision isn’t made on who will start at quarterback against Nevada for Week Zero. Stone and Kevin Jennings spent the offseason competing and that competition will continue.

“No, I don’t think so. I think there’s ongoing conversation as there has been since January, right? I think that we’ve got a good mindset about, hey, we wanna evaluate this thing all the way to the end and let those guys compete and separate themselves in the places where they could or couldn’t,” Woods said after practice. “Fortunately, we’ve got two proven winners that really good, strong men and they believe in themselves, they believe in this team and we’re we’re gonna execute at a high level any either way.

“Once we get to that point,” Woods added, “then obviously I know coach Lashlee will handle that, but we’ve barely missed a beat this fall camp.”

The reality is both Stone and Jennings can run the offense while their styles, strengths and weaknesses may differ. Stone was red-hot in his first year as the starter when he went down against Navy last season, ending his season. Jennings, who has stepped in multiple times for the Mustangs over the past two seasons, led SMU to an AAC Championship game win a week later.

“When you take a snapshot of our offense, whoever you send out there I don’t think you feel strongly one way or the other about, oh, gosh, we can’t execute this part of our offense or this is gonna give us trouble or anything like that,” Woods said. “It’s a good problem to have, but it’s a challenge. We’re ready for it. That’s why they put us in these positions.

“The biggest challenge, I think, for them is, Kevin Jennings can’t try to be Preston, Preston can’t try to be Kevin. Like they gotta be their own versions of themselves and go do that. Don’t try to make plays that you wouldn’t ordinarily make. Go make the plays that you would make. Let him make the plays he’s gonna make. Then let us evaluate and put us in the right position to win and score points.”

Lashlee tabbed both Stone and Jennings to represent SMU’s 4-man group in Charlotte for ACC Media Days. Like Woods said, Lashlee also noted that SMU will need both in the 2024 season.

“There’s a reason both Preston and Kevin are here today,” Lashlee said last month. “They both earned the right to be here. I think what Preston did as a first-year starter, 11-2 as a starter, was playing his best football when he got injured late in the season. Kevin stepped in, his first career start, wins a conference championship game for us on the road in a fairly convincing fashion. Both guys have some different strengths, but they have a skill set that fits our offense well. We had to have both of those guys to win a conference championship last year. There’s no question in my mind for us to be successful, we got to have both of them this year. Just thankful they’re both here.”

Stone called Jennings one of his best friends multiple times the past month. Jennings is more soft spoken, but also embraces the competition and the brotherhood SMU has in its quarterback room.

“The best thing that we got with them right now is their professional approach and attitude. They’ve taken great relief off of us and great relief off of themselves by being so supportive of each other. I think that both of them want to win, both of them are capable of winning, both of them are going to contribute and help us win this season,” Woods said. “I think that as we get to that, who’s jogging out there to take the first snap? Those decisions will come and our team’s got to embrace that and lift it up and I think we’ve got a mature team that’s able to do that. I think we’ve got 25 seniors so it’s guys that have been through these experiences and there’s not an unknown that exists.”

Most would expect Lashlee names Stone the starter next week with a nod to the work he’s done all offseason and in his 2023 campaign. The program’s built on competing so Stone won’t have to look over his shoulder as much as continue to show why he deserves to be out there. Jennings isn’t backing down.

From there, the unknown is how Stone and Jennings will perform in games when they ultimately both get time on the field for the Mustangs.

History shows SMU will need both. They both continue to handle it with class, as you’d expect from two veterans of Lashlee’s squad.

“The great thing about it is, our program, we try to build on healthy competition,” Lashlee said last month. “It’s one of our core values. We talk a lot about competing with each other, not against each other.”

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