With 30 players graduating and another 24 entering the transfer portal, SMU football will look like a brand new team in 2026.
Team leaders such as RJ Maryland, Isaiah Nwokobia and Isaiah Smith declared for the draft, while other key playmakers, such as running back Chris Johnson Jr., are headed to new schools. In the fall, SMU signed the 25th-ranked freshman class in the country, and since the transfer portal opened on Jan. 2, SMU has added another 16 players.
Kevin Jennings, entering his fifth and final year of eligibility, chose to remain at SMU. His supporting cast will look entirely different at the start of the season though, with Jordan Hudson (766 YDS, 6 TD), Romelo Brinson (638 YDS, 3 TD) and all three leading tight ends graduating. Though Matt Hibner (436 YDS, 4 TD) and RJ Maryland (322 YDS, 2 TD) received the bulk of the snaps, Stone Eby also served a valuable role in the offense as the third-string tight end.
The running back room was also severely depleted. TJ Harden, SMU’s lead back in 2025 with 787 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, and Shaadie Clayton-Johnson both completed their final year of eligibility. Chris Johnson Jr. (479 YDS, 5 TD), who likely would’ve assumed the first-string role, instead transferred to Clemson, his third school in as many years. Dramecko Green and Derrick McFall, who combined for 279 rushing yards in 2025, are the only remaining running backs from last year’s roster with playing time.
The offensive line, on the other hand, remains mostly the same. Though key pieces like Savion Byrd and First-Team All-ACC lineman Logan Parr are out, the entire right side of the line is unaffected. Two returning starters, Joshua Bates and Addison Nichols, played in all 12 games, and PJ Williams missed just one due to injury. Dramodd Odoms and Andrew Chamblee, who both took snaps as backups in 2025, will slot in easily to give Jennings one of his strongest offensive lines yet.
The Mustangs run into serious problems with the defensive line.
All four starting defensive linemen are graduating, and six of the eight leading tacklers will not return. Jeffery M’Ba, Terry Webb, Isaiah Smith and Cameron Robertson combined for 24 sacks, and Smith led the team with 8.5. Only four of the 34 sacks in 2025 were made by players returning in 2026.
SMU’s defensive depth took a heavy hit in the transfer portal, too. Key supporting players like DJ Warner, Braeden Flowers, Zakye Barker, Billy Walton III, Mark Iheanachor and Justin Medlock all departed for other universities. Warner (6 TKL, 1 FF), Barker (27 TKL) and Walton III (2 Sacks) all played in over 10 games this season, the type of veteran players Defensive Coordinator Scott Symons likely hoped to retain.
The linebacking core of Alexander Kilgore, Brandon Booker and Brandon Miyazano is unscathed, but the secondary will feel the effects of losing Isaiah Nwokobia and Ahmaad Moses, the 2025 team leaders in tackles and interceptions. Nwokobia and Moses, who spent their entire careers on the Hilltop, were not just SMU’s top defensive players but also vocal leaders and captains for the team. Lastly, Kyron Chambers (30 TKL, 2 PBU) transferred to UNLV for his final year of eligibility, and Deuce Harmon (34 TKL, 7 PBU) is declaring for the NFL Draft.
So who is going to step up? On defense, SMU retains Marcellus Barnes Jr. and William Nettles, who both showed improvement as the season progressed. They’ll be joined by an electric playmaker in Jarvis Lee, a utility cornerback from the University of South Florida. Lee contributed to the Bulls’ pass rush and coverage, tallying 12 tackles for loss, four sacks, three forced fumbles and two interceptions. Jayvon Thomas (Texas A&M) and Jimmy Wyrick (UTSA) are also potential veteran options from the portal. As for the linebackers, Booker, Miyazono and Kilgore should all continue to build upon strong 2025 campaigns. Booker and Kilgore both ranked top-five for the Mustangs in total tackles, while Miyazono contributed two sacks and an interception.
The Mustangs will likely look internally to replace Nwokobia and Moses. Two current freshmen– Tyren Polley and Sael Reyes– received immense praise from Coach Lashlee throughout the season. Despite playing with a cast on one hand, Polley recorded two interceptions late in the season. Meanwhile, Reyes played parts of eight games, recording an interception of his own.
Few options from the 2025 team remain for the Mustangs. Redshirt sophomore Jahkai Lang received some reps in 2025, but it would be improbable for him to replicate the efforts of Smith or Robertson. One exciting signee is David Chukwuemeka, the No. 4 ranked JUCO player in the country. SMU beat out the likes of Alabama and UCLA to pick up Chukwuemeka, who recorded 35 tackles and four sacks at East Los Angeles College.
Ira Singleton and Marques White, edge rushers from South Florida and UMass, respectively, could be the answer. Singleton totaled 2.5 sacks in 2025, while White was a rare standout for the 0-12 Minutemen with 11 tackles for loss, five sacks and two forced fumbles. Additionally, Kansas State defensive tackle transfer Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder (17 TKL, 1.5 sacks) could anchor the middle of the line.
Although it’s rare for a player to start as a true freshman on the defensive side of the ball, Coach Lashlee demonstrated with Polley and Reyes that he will if necessary. Of potential candidates, linebackers Kenneth Goodwin and Izayah Young stand out as players who could hear their name called early.
SMU will absolutely consider playing its young talent on offense. Aljour Miles and Xzavier Barnett, two local receiving standouts, may receive snaps. Christian Rhodes, a four-star running back from Lake Highlands who averaged 7.26 yards per carry as a senior, will slot in nicely in SMU’s running back committee. Rhodes is the fifth-ranked recruit in school history, and 2026 offensive linemen Drew Evers and Sam Utu rank sixth and seventh, respectively, making this one of the strongest recruiting classes SMU has ever had.
Speaking of the running backs, SMU’s biggest pull in the transfer portal was easily Kendrick Raphael from Cal. In SMU’s loss to Cal, Raphael rushed 33 times for 111 yards and a touchdown, and over the course of the season, eclipsed 1,100 yards of total offense. Paired with a pass-catching back like McFall and a speed option in Rhodes, Raphael rounds out what could easily become a top running attack in the ACC.
The Mustangs completely restocked in the receiving department, too. The Mustangs solved their tight end woes by signing three in the transfer portal, including former Texas A&M Aggie Theo Melin Öhrström (19 REC, 168 YDS) and Florida State Seminole Randy Pittman Jr. (208 YDS, 2 TD). Pittman Jr., in particular, will help the offense both as a blocker and pass catcher, while Melin Öhrström could enter a similar role to Hibner’s in the SMU offense.
Though neither immediately sticks out as an automatic number-one wide receiver, SMU did add Yannick Smith from East Carolina University and Jalen Hale from Alabama. Smith has more collegiate production– 1,017 yards and eight touchdowns across two seasons– whereas Hale is a once-highly touted high school prospect that may benefit from a change in scenery. It will be a battle between Yamir Knight, Jalen Cooper and Smith for the WR1 role to start the season.
A shaky kicking game in 2025 should improve thanks to the right leg of Nick Reed. With Sam Keltner signing with Oklahoma State University and Collin Rogers headed to Florida Atlantic University, SMU upgraded by picking up Reed, who was a First-Team FCS All-American at New Hampshire. Reed made six of eight field goal attempts from over 50 yards, while SMU kickers in 2025 went a mere one for four.
The coaching staff received a shakeup as well. Casey Woods, Coach Lashlee’s offensive coordinator and chief of staff, departed to become the head coach for Missouri State after four years at SMU. Woods was instrumental in building the high-powered offense SMU has come to be known for. His role as tight end coach can’t be understated either, as Woods developed Maryland and Hibner into NFL-caliber talents.
Though the offensive coordinator job is in the air, tight ends should be in good hands under Riley Dodge. Dodge, who served as the head coach for Southlake Carroll High School for eight years, was hired on Wednesday, Dec. 24, to coach the tight ends and coordinate the passing game. In his tenure with the Dragons, his team went 108-10 and won two Texas 6A State Championships. SMU also added South Oak Cliff defensive coordinator Kyle Ward as the safeties coach. Ward’s defense helped lead the Golden Bears to a 5A Division 2 State Championship in 2025.
With the ACC reconfiguring the conference schedule structure, SMU’s new look roster will be tested with nine ACC opponents in 2026. Before then, SMU will have home games versus UC Davis and Missouri State- an early reunion with Coach Woods- and a daunting away matchup against Notre Dame. SMU has played Notre Dame 13 times, the most recent occurring in 1989. SMU won just three of those matchups, one being a 27-20 Aloha Bowl victory in 1984.
An argument can be made that, compared to 2025, SMU has a relatively easy ACC schedule next season. The four road games are against Louisville, Florida State, Stanford and Syracuse, whom SMU has a combined 6-0 record against since joining the conference. At home, SMU will play Boston College, Wake Forest, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Cal. SMU lost on the road to Wake Forest and Cal this season, and may have their hands full with a regeared Virginia Tech team, which now has former Penn State Head Coach James Franklin at the helm.
Notably, SMU does not play Miami, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Pitt or the reigning champion Duke Blue Devils. The hardest matchups will be the away games against Louisville and Florida State, and potentially the home games against Virginia, Cal and Wake Forest.
As the starting lineup shakes out and SMU finds the final pieces for its coaching staff, the Mustangs have an extremely real opportunity to return to the ACC Championship in 2026.
