SMU DE Elijah Roberts returning to the Mustangs for final season
SMU defensive end Elijah Roberts will return for his final season of college football, suiting up for the Mustangs when they enter the ACC in 2024. He announced the news on Twitter on Friday.
“So hungry for greatness,” Roberts tweeted. “I swear y’all haven’t seen anything yet! Can’t wait for what next year has in store for me and my brothers!”
Roberts made an immediate impact on the defensive side of the ball for the Mustangs, causing constant pressure that has resulted in a career-high 10.0 sacks this year, good for 13th in the NCAA. Roberts, a Miami transfer who helped the Mustangs produce a Top 10 defense in 2023, had 42 pressures, fourth-most nationally per PFF.
Roberts earned high praise on Monday by the Action Network, getting selected to the publication’s 2023 All-America Team. He also landed on the On3 All-Transfer Team.
Roberts was a first-team selection on defense for Action Network, becoming the first SMU player to earn All-America honors on the defensive end in the publication’s history. He joins former Mustang standout Rashee Rice, a second-team selection on offense in 2022.
The teams were selected by Action Network’s Brett McMurphy, Collin Wilson and George Stuckey.
Defensively, the Mustangs have been one of the best teams in the country this season. The 47 sacks rank second in program history for a single season. SMU took it to the conference opposition, posting an average margin of victory of 28.9 points (45.9-17.0) in conference games this year, the largest margin for any team in the NCAA in conference play in 2023.
The Mustangs have posted an 11-2 record so far this year, capturing their first AAC Championship while going undefeated (8-0) in conference play. The 11 wins are the most by the program since the 1982 National Championship team. The conference championship marks the first outright championship won by SMU in 41 years.
