Earlier this season, legendary coach Nick Saban called SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings the most underrated player in college football. For anyone who turned on the College Football Playoff, that statement might have looked a little ridiculous.
Jennings played one of the worst games of his life, a true nightmare performance in SMU’s 38-10 first-round loss to Penn State on Saturday. The sophomore threw a pick-six on the second SMU drive of the game, a 23-yarder returned by Dominic DeLuca. After another three-and-out, Jennings threw another pick-six, this one a 59-yarder to Tony Rojas that SMU players barely seemed to fight to defend. Worse, the picks were simply horrendous decisions and throws, nothing special from the defense.
There was also the fourth-and-one conversion on the first drive of the game. Jennings could have easily run for the first down, but saw tight end Matthew Hibner coming open in the end zone. Hibner bobbled the ball and SMU ultimately did not score any points in the first half.
When the dust settled, Jennings threw three interceptions, all of which turned into first-half touchdowns for the Nittany Lions. He completed 20-of-36 passes for 195 yards and was sacked multiple times late as the SMU offensive line wore down. The final score and stats show a blowout, but Jennings’ miscues essentially gifted Penn State 21 of their 28 points.
As Jennings left the field, Mustangs coach Rhett Lashlee pulled him to the side for a long conversation.
“I believe in you,” Lashlee said according to The Athletic. “Everyone believes in you.”
Jennings has ascended from low-level recruit to ACC star
For Jennings, the stage was bigger than anything he had ever experienced, maybe bigger than anything he imagined. As a high school recruit from South Oak Cliff outside of Dallas, Jennings only had FCS offers until Lashlee and SMU came calling. He led his high school to the first state title by a Dallas ISD school since the famed Dallas Carter team profiled in Friday Night Lights.
Despite starting the season on the bench, Jennings outdueled incumbent Preston Stone for the starting quarterback job by the time SMU’s fourth game rolled around.
In so many moments this season, Jennings was the difference. There was the two-touchdown performance to lead a 66-42 win over TCU. He cleared 400 yards in a road win against Louisville. After a slow start to the ACC Championship Game, Jennings finished with more than 300 yards passing and four total touchdowns to pull the Mustangs all the way back from a 31-14 deficit entering the fourth quarter.
Especially compared to Stone, a national top-150 recruit who has since reportedly signed with Northwestern, Jennings is raw. He’s a work in progress. This year, the famously quiet Jennings tried to work on his vocal leadership and take on the responsibility of being the face of a national-caliber FBS program. On Saturday, he was not ready for the moment.
And in many ways, Jennings is emblematic of what happens next at SMU. The Mustangs put together the best season ever by a team transitioning to the power conference level in the national championship game era. They went 8-0 in ACC play and were a 56-yard field goal away from potentially winning the ACC. But now, SMU isn’t a nice story or surprise. The Mustangs have to play with the best in college football.
Jennings is one of the most talented players in college football and boasts the kind of playmaking and arm that makes coaches drool. Even on his lone touchdown throw against Penn State, Jennings maneuvered in the pocket, flipped his body and threw a laser to Roderick Daniels for a touchdown.
Lashlee made a major gamble by slotting Jennings into the starting lineup and handing him the keys to the program. In Beaver Stadium, it backfired tremendously. But with two years of eligibility remaining at his hometown program, Jennings’ story is still just beginning.
When SMU opens the 2025 season, Jennings will arguably be the top quarterback in the ACC. After announcing several key players back for 2025 — including Jennings, All-ACC DB Isaiah Nwokobia and tight end RJ Maryland — the Mustangs will have a chance to again return to this stage.
For SMU to keep climbing, though, Jennings will have to take the lead.
