Retooled SMU offensive line showing promise this spring

Coming into the offseason the SMU football team had as many as four starting offensive linemen coming back, but the transfer portal and injuries have things looking very different this spring.

Offensive line coach Garin Justice has moved some pieces around and is giving others extended looks. While it’s not yet the group the Mustangs will go into the season with this fall, it is a group that has plenty of potential.

“The biggest thing, there’s a good attitude and a good willingness. Everyone’s willing to learn, everyone’s helping each other out,” Justice, who is in his third year at SMU, said. “Down a couple bodies, we’re a little thinner than what we want to be right now, but that’s most O-lines in spring ball everywhere in the country. Very rarely are you like, ‘Oh wow, we’re deep’ in spring ball.”

For the most part, the first-team offensive line this spring has been PJ Williams at left tackle, Nate Anderson at left guard, Justin Osborne at center, Jakai Clark at right guard and Savion Byrd at right tackle. Only Williams started at his position last season while Osborne started at guard and tackle and Clark played some guard late in the season. Anderson and Byrd both transferred from Oklahoma this offseason.

“I think our first group, there’s a lot of promise. We’re definitely more athletic, more than we have been the last couple of years. That’s exciting,” Justice said. “The other part is, it’s the teaching them how to play, teach them how to be cohesive, teach them what we expect as far as fundamentals and techniques, communications and those types of things. As far as the attitude and effort and want-to that’s all there and you’re starting to see progress.”

Justice discussed liking what he’s seen from Williams as he has a chance to take ownership of the left tackle position. Opposite him, though, is a big transition for Byrd.

“Savion’s really, really exciting to coach. He’s still learning the offense,” Justice said. “People who are just random fans don’t realize that Savion was a left guard at OU, now he’s going to tackle and he’s going to a right-handed stance. So he’s going to the most opposite position you came for the O-line. So fundamentally, there’s a little bit of a learning curve that’s going through that for him because in high school he was a left tackle, so he’s really been a left-hand stagger the majority of his football career and now we’re flipping him to the right hand, right foot stagger and a lot of that was just more PJ’s comfort is why we did it. (Head) coach (Rhett) Lashlee also has a tendency to call some of those gap plays to the right and with Savion’s explosion, it makes it a pretty good fit for that.

“Man, athletically, he’s a fun guy to coach. He still messes up some stuff, but that’s to be expected, but the attitude, energy he brings. …  I’m excited about what he can do and what he can show. You see the flashes where you’re like, ‘Oh, OK, that’s different.’ He’s got a different level of intensity, athleticism and pop to what he does in his game.”

Byrd and Anderson have been a nice addition to the SMU unit both on and off the field.

“The way (Byrd), and really Nate Anderson both, have both just fit in with the guys has been pretty seamless,” Justice said. “That’s been cool to see and really it’s a compliment to the room for doing that with those guys.”

Clark was a new face at SMU last season, but wasn’t ready to play right away. He and the coaching staff saved his playing time for the end of the season so he could return for one more year. That plan seems to be working out so far.

“Jakai is an extremely high IQ football player. He lost some of the athleticism with being a little bit overweight,” Justice said. “But early on, even last year, we had that discussion and said, ‘This is going to be our plan for you.’ It was kind of his idea as far as wanting that plan because he recognized it more so than probably we did. But he’s right on schedule right now where he wants to be at. He’s trending the right way as far as all of his bodyweight and all that type stuff. The thing Jakai is, Jakai’s one of those players, he’s a really, really good football player but he has the ability to make the guys around him that much better.”

One person who could benefit the most from Clark is Osborne. He is learning to play center for SMU this offseason and having Clark right there is an added bonus.

“If a guy’s a little confused about the call or what we’re doing, he’s played center, he’s played guard. He’s got those reps so now JO has a security blanket (with Clark),” Justice said. “So that’s been really, really good. It’s nice to see him come here and be the guy because that’s what we recruited him to be. We wanted him to come in and be the guy and now we’re able to get him in here and get those reps. I love coaching Jakai Clark. I had him two years at Miami and now I have him two years at SMU, so a big fan of Jakai.”

Meanwhile, the Mustangs are working without Logan Parr and Ben Sparks. They were mainstays in the starting lineup at both guard spots. Parr started 13 games at left guard while Sparks started seven times at right guard and the one game Parr missed at left guard.

Some of that has also bumped some younger players higher up into the rotation. Redshirt freshmen like Alex Woods, Reagan Gill and Sean Scott are being asked to do more, as well as Caleb Johnson who is in his second year at SMU.

“We’ve definitely had to throw them to the fire and they’ve gotten burned a lot from that standpoint. But that’s how you learn, that’s how you grow up, that’s how you get better,” Justice said. “Really, really proud of all these guys. Alex is probably the guy that is progressing the furthest in that group and he’s also playing center. You throw, ‘OK, now you’ve better competition than you’re used to playing and you’re doing the communication and you’re snapping the ball,’ so it’s been a lot on him from that standpoint, but he’s responded and done a nice job. The biggest thing he’s doing, he’s learning how to practice. In individual periods, he’s going full speed like it’s a game rep and that’s when those habits start to kick in.”

That’s true for everyone on the line, whether they are veterans, playing new positions or newcomers. Maybe more so than any other position group, the offensive line has to work together as one unit. That takes some time and is partially why the spring is so important.

“The biggest thing we talked about is just seeing the game through the same set of eyes. Right now there’s still some, ‘I saw it this way’ or ‘I saw it this way.’ We can’t stress enough — communicate, communicate, talk, talk, talk, over communicate,” Justice said. “To start seeing things (the same) just comes through playing. As long as they keep working hard like they have been, as long as they keep coming and get extra film, are eager to try and perfect their craft, that’s why I have a job. I can do the rest, I would like to think. The attitude, the effort’s there, the biggest thing is you’ve got to stay healthy because you can’t get better if you’re injured. If we can stay healthy and just keep pushing through and keep working hard and keep them with the same attitude like they have, we’ll be where we want to be at the end of spring.”