Notebook: SMU Football wraps up first day of spring practice
SMU football hit the practice field for the first time under new head coach Rhett Lashlee on Friday morning. Here are some of On The Pony Express’ takeaways from our time watching practice.
Receiving corps looks to reload
After losing Danny Gray and Reggie Roberson Jr. to the NFL Draft, SMU looks ready to fill their shoes. Coming off of his best statistical season in an SMU uniform, junior wide receiver Rashee Rice looks like he is ready to make the jump to take his game to the next level. Throughout the course of practice Rice made several impressive catches, including a one-handed snag over returning starter, Bryce McMorris. Rice has also put on more muscle this offseason, telling On The Pony Express after practice “I actually lost some weight, but I built more muscle. Every single day we do explosive workouts, and I think it’s really helped regardless of my weight.” North Carolina transfer, Beau Corrales, hit the ground running in his first practice on the Hilltop, making a couple of very nice catches as he looks to get acclimated to his new team.
Quarterback battle commences
After setting the school record for passing touchdowns with 39 last year, Tanner Mordecai looked sharp in his spring debut. Mordecai was able to find success early in practice, as he found Rashee Rice and Beau Corrales for a pair of touchdowns. Mordecai also later connected with Calvin Wiggins on a deep pass for a touchdown, as the Waco native looks to improve on his accuracy further down the field. Redshirt freshman Preston Stone showed why deserves some playing time, finding Beau Barker for a pair of touchdown passes, while he was working with the second team. Towards the tail end of practice, Stone connected with sixth-year senior Austin Upshaw on a 45 yard touchdown that was one of his prettiest passes of the day.
Other Notes:
Sophomore wideout Roderick Daniels Jr. got some opportunities to run with the first team offense, lining up in the slot. TJ McDaniel looked very impressive in his return to the field, finding the hole for a pair of 10+ yard runs. However, McDaniel will be one to keep an eye on as this was his first time playing since his nasty injury against Memphis in 2020. There was some shuffling amongst the offensive linemen, with redshirt senior Jaylon Thomas taking reps at center. Jahari Rogers had a tough day, getting burned multiple times by the likes of Jordan Kerley, Wiggins and Upshaw. Je’lin Samuels looks to be an intriguing prospect, getting reps with the first and second team defenses throughout the course of practice. Running back duo, Tyler Lavine and Ulysses Bentley IV, looked like they have improved their catching abilities, which was causing issues for the SMU defense.
