It wasn’t anything Reggie Roberson Jr. did in particular on Sunday that turned heads. It was more just the mere fact that he was available for the first spring practice of 2020, in any capacity, that brought solace to an SMU coaching staff looking to improve on its best season in five decades.

The SMU standout wide receiver is coming off a career-year, albeit abbreviated by a broken foot suffered eight games into the season. A year in which Roberson Jr. tallied 803 yards of receiving, six touchdowns and 43 receptions, the six-foot target quickly morphed into quarterback Shane Buechele’s favorite deep ball weapon. The combination of the West Virginia transfer and James Proche, a first-team all conference selection, simultaneously turned SMU’s offense into one of the most dynamic attacks in the country.

The landscape going into this spring camp, however, is markedly different. While last year brought its own challenges, a team battling unknowns at nearly every position, 2020 is also not without its own baggage. James Proche, the undoubted number one target in the receiving corps last season, is off to the NFL. While he was seen on the sidelines of the first practice, his services will not be in an SMU uniform when Arkansas State comes to Dallas in August.

So in this season, the crown of defense’s number one priority falls at the feet of Roberson Jr. Coming off an injury, the future senior leader is charged with bringing along a cavalry of wideouts that are talented but not yet proven. Head coach Sonny Dykes said the mentality is naturally going to be different.

“I think he probably feels a little more responsibility to be a consistent guy. He was kind of our home run threat last year and James [Proche] was our consistent guy. Now Reggie will have to wear the consistent guy hat along with the home run threat hat,” Dykes said. “It is good for him. That is what great receivers do. They may be a big play guy but they are also a third and medium and fourth and five.”

This transition, though, is not going to happen overnight. The coaching staff doesn’t expect as much. Diligence in both his physical healing process and the mental transition to being the number one threat is the hallmark of the first weeks of spring practice.

“We will bring him along slowly. He will do a little bit more after spring break. These two weeks will get him healed up. He did some stuff today and looks good,” Dykes said. “We just want to be smart with what we do with him and spring is really important for him.”

Roberson’s approach to spring practice might be adding another benefit to SMU as well. The young guys behind the senior, who will inevitably be thrust into larger roles next year, are getting time. Calvin Wiggins, Keke Burns and Rashee Rice are all vying to be the main backup to Roberson next year. Not to mention the newly minted wide receiver, a former quarterback, Austin Upshaw’s strong start to the new year.

The boys are back. #PonyUpDallas pic.twitter.com/RRaiDMzwV9

— SMU FOOTBALL (@SMUFB) March 9, 2020

In the end, though, the coaching staff does not shy away from Roberson’s importance. The belief placed in him is well placed and, for Dykes, is rooted in past off-seasons.

“We are going to be glad to have him back. He is a really good football player and he gives us a lot of speed on the outside,” Dykes said. “The good thing about Reggie is that every year he has made a big improvement from one year to the next. You would expect him to make a big jump from junior year to senior year.”