Pony Stampede: An SMU Athletics podcast · 247Sports, SMU, SMU Mustangs, SMU football, College Football

SMU Spring Football Reboot

·39 min·2 clips

Jonathan McGill, Charles Woods, Ahmad Walker, Elijah Roberts, and Jordan Miller give SMU a visibly deeper defense.

Jordan Hoffaditz opens by resetting the timing of SMU's spring work after the team took a week off for spring break. He says the start of spring felt uneven because the first two practices were only visible for 20 minutes at a time. Then the staff moved through a full Saturday session, followed by Tuesday and Thursday work before the break, which makes the early read a little choppy. Even so, he thinks enough has shown up to matter. The biggest offensive point is Preston Stone. No official announcement has been made, but the position is presented as effectively settled. Stone ended last season injured and in a sling. He has been out of that since December and does not look limited now. The quarterback discussion is not framed as a suspense story. It is framed as the team moving forward with the starter everyone already expects. Most of the episode's weight lands on the defensive side. Hoffaditz says the unit simply looks more talented than it did a year ago. He is careful not to dismiss the players who were already there. He just thinks the roster now has another level available. Jordan Miller gets singled out as a major problem up front. He is described as a bigger, more athletic version of Elijah Chapman. Elijah Roberts adds versatility because he can work inside but could also be swung out to the edge as a pass rusher. That flexibility matters more because some other bodies are unavailable. Nelson Paul is back and looked good when healthy. Isaiah Smith is back after playing a lot as a true freshman last season, and that return matters for the rotation. Jalen Samuels is suspended during spring, which changes the interior picture a bit. Stefan Wright is still being evaluated health-wise. Hoffaditz says coach Simons has talked about Wright, but his availability is still uncertain. The larger point is about depth. SMU now has more bodies to work with, and that alone changes how spring practice feels. Competition becomes harder to ignore when there are more players who can actually press for reps. The episode keeps circling back to that idea. Spring football is not about final answers yet. It is about noticing which rooms look stronger, which roles are becoming clearer, and which injuries or absences still shape the projection. Hoffaditz closes by pointing listeners toward the spring game at Highland Park High on April 14. He also notes that podcast coverage should become more frequent now that practice is picking up again. He mentions an upcoming annual subscription discount for SMU fans and tells listeners to keep checking the message board and the Pony Stampede site for updates.

As heard by us

A steady spring update on SMU, with Preston Stone set at quarterback and a defense that looks deeper.

Jordan Hoffaditz gives SMU a measured spring football update that knows what is settled and what is not. Preston Stone is treated as the expected starter at quarterback, while the defense stands out as the early storyline, with Jordan Miller and Elijah Roberts noted for the…

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You want the first real read on SMU's spring reboot.

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