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SMU Spring Football Eve

·34 min·2 clips

Tanner in concussion protocol, Preston in a sling, Kevin on the field: no other scholarship quarterback was available at Tulsa.

1. Pony Stampede's SMU Spring Football Eve episode previews the Mustangs' spring practices, which begin the next morning and run until the April 14 spring game. 2. Host Jordan Hoffaditz, in his second year covering SMU for Pony Stampede, offers his position-by-position read on the team and says he is 'checking the message board constantly' for listener questions. 3. His central point is that this spring differs from last year because all but two transfers and four early-enrolled freshmen are on campus, instead of arriving in the summer. 4. On defense, he says Scott Simons talked after the Tulane game about the team not being physical enough, so he expects a 'ramped up' defense, with new position coaches Kyle Cooper (safeties) and Maurice Crum (linebackers). 5. At linebacker, three of the top four tacklers are gone, so Liberty transfer Ahmad Walker, the Burns brothers, Cameron Farrar and freshman Alex Kilgore, the top-rated recruit in the class on the 24/7 rankings, will compete for time. 6. On offense, he says the running back room led by Kamar Wheaton, L.J. Johnson Jr. and Jalen Knighton has firepower the backfield 'hasn't had... Ever,' while Jalen Knighton likely enters camp as the No. 1 back. 7. At quarterback, he says it is 'Preston's job' and 'Preston's offense,' with Kevin Jennings, who led a 90-plus-yard drive against Memphis, and Iowa transfer Alex Padilla as experienced depth after the Tulsa game left no other scholarship quarterback. 8. He argues that the secondary's problem last year was depth, not talent, because players such as Brian Massey and Crossley were worn down by season's end, and that additions like Jalen Davis-Robinson and Charles Woods should create 'iron sharpens iron' competition. 9. He expects limited answers on the offensive line because guard-center types Logan Parr and Ja'Kai Clark are finishing degrees and arrive in the summer, and he notes media get only 20 minutes on the first two practice days. 10. SMU football fans who follow roster battles and jersey numbers will get the most from it.

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