WATCH: SMU RB LJ Johnson talks fall camp
SMU running back LJ Johnson is one of the keys to the run game this fall for the Mustangs. Hear from the former Texas A&M transfer in the video below.
The running back position is competitive with numerous players vying for time to carry the ball. SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee is hoping all his players stay mentally tough.
“Hopefully that’s the case at a lot of positions. Competition makes everybody better. We’ve told them you’re competing to earn your opportunities,” Lashlee said Friday. “If more than one can earn an opportunity, we’ll play more than one guy. We’re not going to be able to play five, but just look at last year, the injuries we had. Hopefully we don’t, but we’re going to need everybody at some point. If you end up being that fourth or fifth guy, it takes a really mentality tough person to be able to push through that knowing Week 3, 7 or last game you’ll get called upon. We’re not anywhere near that yet so those guys are all competing.”
Mustangs ready for Year 2 of Lashlee era at SMU
The Mustangs are gearing up for the second season under Lashlee’s direction. SMU finished 7-6 in 2023, appearing in the New Mexico Bowl against BYU. Lashlee is the first SMU coach to lead the team to a bowl appearance in his first season since the 1980s.
With quarterback Preston Stone set to start for the first time in his career, SMU should be potent once again on offense. Aided by 25 transfers, the defense was revamped in the offseason to help Scott Symons’ elevate his unit to where the Mustangs need to be.
SMU opens the 2023 college football season at home against Louisiana Tech at 11 a.m. CT on ESPNU on Sept. 2. The Mustangs are looking to continue the momentum they’ve built the last few seasons.
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