Bo Levi Mitchell leads passing drills at the Mustangs’ spring practice on Thursday. The football team will have 14 practices before the annual Red & Blue Scrimmage on April 25. (Jordan Chlapecka)

SMU football hit the fields Monday for the first week of spring practice.

As the new season approaches, the players are looking to their leaders to run the show.

On Monday the players ran out of the tunnel for the first time this spring in hopes of forgetting about their (1-11) season last year. The team will be led by sophomore quarterback, Bo Levi Mitchell and senior receiver-turned-cornerback, Emmanuel Sanders.

To improve on last season, Coach June Jones has designed a new defensive scheme. Defensive coordinator, Tom Mason will employ the 3-4 defense, a strategy that will allow the linebackers to have more mobility in the backfield.

“We took what we did last year in the nickel package and evaluated what we were doing in the off-season… we went and got some stuff from the Pittsburgh Steelers, Northwestern and Oklahoma State,” said Mason.

Returning to the offensive line this year is senior leader, Mitch Enright. He is coming off an off-season injury, but line coach, Dennis McKnight says he will look to him to lead the front five.

“Right now we have 10 guys playing and two guys down with injuries for the spring,” said McKnight. “There is tons of work to do, and early on from an individual standpoint, hard work is necessary.”

The foreign dominator, Margus Hunt will anchor the defensive end this spring. Hunt, a former track and field star, is 6’7″ and weighs 270.

Hunt says the biggest adjustment he has made from track is moving his feet more and staying low to hit people.

“Football is a lot different from track and field,” said Hunt. “Out here on the football field, it’s a faster pace and always on the move.”

The Mustangs hit the field again this Saturday as they work to rebuild for a new season this fall.