SMU Football 2014 Spring Wrap Up

Strengths & Question Marks

The biggest strength for the SMU Mustangs after spring ball was the front seven of the defense. The Ponies bring back all three starting defensive linemen from a year ago — LDE Beau Barnes (5.0 sacks in 2013), NT Darrian Wright and RDE Zach Wood — and are three- or four-deep across the line with players the coaches feel can legitimately contribute.

Two of the reserve defensive ends, Zelt Minor and Elie Nabushosi, are expected to be future stars; Minor has such promise on the left side that the coaches tried Barnes at LOLB, where his size (6-5, 255) and speed make him an imposing pass-rushing threat.

The linebackers have been the anchors of the defense in recent years, and the 2014 group should be solid again. Last year’s starting ILBs, are gone … probably. Randall Joyner graduated, and Kevin Pope (the team’s top returning tackler after finishing second on the team with 91 tackles) was granted a fifth year of eligibility, but likely will play RB in the fall.

If so, the inside spots likely will be filled by Jonathan Yenga, a 2013 super-sub who played ILB and OLB last season but might have been the team’s best defensive player by the end of the year, and Nick Horton, another youngster whose speed and hitting ability have coaches raving.

The OLBs will have more veteran experience: senior Stephon Sanders has been called “an SEC linebacker” by at least one opposing coach, and Robert Seals might be the fastest pure sprinter of the bunch.

The strength of the offense might well end up being at the position which had the fewest players during the spring: running back. Pope played running back and linebacker during the last two games of the season, and averaged 5.2 yards per carry despite playing with a torn labrum in his shoulder.

In the spring, after offseason shoulder surgery and while awaiting word from the American Athletic Conference about whether he would earn another year of eligibility, Pope was limited to conditioning work only, meaning all of the reps went to returning veterans Prescott Line (the younger brother of former SMU star and current Minnesota Viking Zach Line) and K.C. Nlemchi.

In addition, the Mustangs are bringing in two talented freshmen at a position where pure athletic ability sometimes allow a player to contribute significantly as a freshman: Daniel Gresham, a bruiser from Fort Worth who previously had been committed to Texas and then Louisville and had nearly 20 scholarship offers from which to choose, and Darius Durall, a quick, shifty speedster who is an electric open-field runner.

New running backs coach Steve Broussard said after the conclusion of spring drills that as of now, the starting job is Line’s to lose, but said that there will be a lot of competition in August, when Pope and the freshmen join the fray.

There are question marks on both sides of the ball. By all indications, there is talent at a lot of positions, but much of it is young and/or unproven. QB Neal Burcham is a promising player who once tied Florida State’s Jameis Winston for the MVP of the Elite 11 Quarterback Camp, but he has less than three games of experience in his college career, having stepped in at the end of the season when starter Garrett Gilbert went down with a knee injury. Burcham can throw with accuracy, and is more mobile than most realize, but he needs seasoning.

Behind him, the coaches are high on redshirt freshman Kolney Cassel and a pair of incoming freshmen: Darrel Colbert and Jordan Severt. And just this week, Matt Davis — one of the nation’s elite quarterback two years ago when he spurned programs like Alabama and Auburn to sign with Texas A&M — announced he is transferring to SMU after spending a year at Tyler JC.

Three top receivers are gone from a year ago, as are three starters in the secondary. Coaches and teammates have raved about some of the young talent on the roster, but until it is clear which young players are ready to step into bigger roles, a lot of questions will remain.

Breakout Players

QB Matt Davis: if he plays, he’ll be impossible to ignore. He came out of high school two years ago with a reputation for a big arm and incredible running ability (he ran on a sprint relay at his high school that finished third in Texas … and fourth in the entire nation). St. Louis Rams draftee Garrett Gilbert was able to take the starting role two years ago after transferring from the University of Texas, so if Davis is healthy and shows he can pick up the offense, it’s not unheard of to think head coach June Jones would give him a shot. But Jones is high on Burcham, too, so if Davis is going to take the job, he’ll have to earn it during preseason workouts.

DE Zelt Minor: At the moment, Minor is not expected to start, but his talent and athleticism is hard to ignore. The sophomore from Lamar High School in Houston is developing so quickly that the defensive coaches looked at DE Beau Barnes — who will be a senior in the fall and finished second on the team with 5.0 sacks in 2013 — at OLB in some situations so both could be on the field and chasing the quarterback at the same time.

LB Jonathan Yenga: A versatile reserve for much of 2013, Yenta can play any of the four LB spots in the SMU defense, led the team with 6.0 sacks, finished tied for fifth in tackles and was so effective that defensive coordinator Tom Mason said Yenga might have been the team’s best defensive player at the end of the season. Yenga is a strong, fast, smart player and an explosive hitter who figures to be lined up all over the field in 2014.

WR Cedric Lancaster: Often the smallest player (listed at 5-8, 165) on the field, Minor’s high school teammate is an electric open-field runner who runs exceptional routes and catches everything near him. During spring workouts, Jones said there were times that Lancaster was completely “unguardable.” Lancaster also has the ability to be a factor on the return game, if the coaches decide to put him there.

Position Grades

QBs: C

Weren’t we all taught in school that a “C” is supposed to be average? That’s not necessarily an accurate indication of what talent is there, because what the Mustangs have remains largely unknown. Presumed starter Neal Burcham has played less than three games in his college career; backups Garrett Krstich and Kolney Cassel have played less than 10 minutes and zero snaps, respectively. Transfer Matt Davis might be everything he was said to be coming out of high school two years ago, but he has yet to see a playbook or practice in the SMU offense, so who knows if or when he’ll play, or how fast he’ll power through the learning curve if he does get on the field.

RBs: B

Senior Kevin Pope returns for a fifth season after taking over the starting role for the last couple of games last season, but he sat out spring workouts while recovering from shoulder surgery, so new RBs coach Steve Broussard has yet to see Pope in action. Sophomore Prescott Line, the younger brother of Minnesota Vikings RB and former SMU star Zach Line, resembles his brother physically and in the wrestling background they share; not coincidentally, Jones and Broussard love Line’s blocking ability and have him written in as the starter. Junior K.C. Nlemchi is the home-run threat of the bunch, while bruising Daniel Gresham might be the best freshman arriving in the fall.

WRs: B-

Another position group that gets a grade that likely is lower than is deserved, but only because of the uncertainty of all of the new moving parts. Junior Darius Joseph is rock-solid after a year in which he posted the second-highest single-season receptions total (103) in SMU history. Senior Der’Rikk Thompson is the deep threat who has become a much more polished receiver. Youngsters Jeremiah Gaines, Deion Sanders, Jr., and Cedric Lancaster are green, but each showed flashes in 2013.

OL: C+

The Mustangs are solid at C, where junior Taylor Lasecki has started all 25 games in his first two seasons, and at the tackle spots with LT Chauncey Briggs and RT Kris Weeks. Who plays guard, however, is up in the air.

DL: B+

The Mustangs’ most experienced position group, with all three 2013 starters returning. The anchor in the middle is senior Darrian Wright, who generously performs the unenviable task of tying up blockers so his teammates can make plays around him. DEs Beau Barnes and Zach Wood are solid, and the coaches are thrilled with the depth behind the starting unit, including fast-rising DEs Zelt Minor and Elie Nabushosi.

LBs: B

Usually the strongest group on the defense, if not the whole team, the LBs have lost four starters to graduation in the last two years, and a fifth this season to the offense, as ILB Kevin Pope is expected to play RB in 2014. But SMU collects LBs, and has several of note, led by headliners OLB Stephon Sanders, who has been called “an SEC-caliber linebacker” and OLB/ILB Jonathan Yenga. They lead a group that makes up for inexperience with speed and athleticism, and includes OLB Robert Seals and ILB Nick Horton as possible starters.

DBs: C+

Once again, this group likely will be better than this grade. But three 2013 starters graduated, including San Francisco 49ers draftee/CB Kenneth Acker, and senior S Hayden Greenbauer is coming back from season-ending knee surgery. The Mustangs have promising CBs in Horace Richardson, J.R. Richardson and Ajee Montes, but both Richardsons were limited last year while recovering from knee injuries of their own, and Montes was a role player as a freshman last season. Shakiel Randolph likely will start alongside Greenbauer at S, but a third Richardson, Darrion, impressed so much last season that he might be impossible to keep off the field.

STs: C

This one is more guesswork than analysis. Junior Cody Rademacher is the probable kicker, and has never kicked a field goal or extra point in a game for the Mustangs, although he has showed impressive consistency and leg strength in practice. Incoming freshman Jackson Koonce will be given every chance to win the punter job. Numerous speedy players will be given a chance in the return game, possibly including Deion Sanders, Jr., Kevin Pope, J.R. Richardson and Cedric Lancaster. About the only certainty is that sophomore Jordan Tobolka will deep-snap on punts.

2014 Expectations

It would not be a surprise at all to see the Mustangs rely more heavily on the run in 2014. That’s not June Jones’ preferred method of moving the football, but the idea that he is a pass-only coach is a myth; since his arrival at SMU, Shawnbrey McNeal became Jones’ first 1,000-yard rusher and helped the Mustangs reach their first bowl game (the 2009 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl) in 24 years, and was replaced by Zach Line, who ran his way to a conference Player of the Year award, second place on the school’s all-time rushing list (behind Eric Dickerson) and a job with the Minnesota Vikings.

Whether the Mustangs can get that kind of performance from the running game remains to be seen, but they might have to rely on the ground game while the quarterback and receiver positions get more settled, and while the offensive line gels.

The defense should be better in 2014, despite losing five starters from a year ago. The line has more experience and much more depth, and the front seven should be able to make plays and apply enough pressure to help the secondary.

How that translates remains to be seen. SMU once again starts the season against a rough slate of non-conference opponents that includes national heavyweights Texas A&M and Baylor, TCU and a North Texas team that suddenly became relevant in 2013 with nine wins.

Predicting what will happen against American Athletic Conference teams is a little more difficult … maybe like trying to thread a needle in the dark while wearing boxing gloves. With Louisville’s departure, there probably isn’t an unbeatable team, but there also isn’t a team that can’t beat SMU. The Ponies will be underdogs in at least three of the non-conference games, and will need to fare well against AAC teams in order to get back to bowl eligibility — a goal that is not unreachable.

---

PonyFans.com is the oldest and largest website covering SMU athletics. Get notified about the latest and most in-depth coverage of the Mustangs by becoming Facebook “friends” at Facebook.com/PonyFans & follow them on Twitter @PonyFans.

---