SMU2006

Lavine is coming back next year too.

Now that is some dynamic feedback. Thanks.

Can't argue or deny the success Dykes has had this year at TCU but he walked into a pretty great situation. Also, if not for an early Chandler Morris injury the Frogs likely finish in the 7-9 win category. I guess he was such a great coach that he didn't know he had a Heisman candidate as a backup? Funny how things work out. TCU also won several games this year where they were trailing at halftime or the fourth quarter. That's nothing to take away from the outcome. A win is a win but those things tend to even out over the course of a larger sample size. We'll see how the Frogs respond to being the hunted next year as opposed to being the hunter. They won't be sneaking up on anybody. That said they are recruiting at an elite level and their NIL is very competitive. They'll be able to build off of this title game appearance and I'd expect a top ten recruiting class next year.

There's a lot more to expansion that attendance. You could also make the argument that playing teams that the average fan knows and associates with P5 would be a nice boost (in addition to the $200m stadium expansion/renovation). I think the pitch to the PAC is a) strong academics with a multi-billion endowment b) exposure in Texas where a ton of West Coasters relocate and c) financial commitment to athletics unrivaled in the current G5 and lower tier P5.

SMU is in a much better position today than 2011, especially with the current landscape of viable expansion candidates.

Good kid that fought injuries all year. Wish him the best. With Camar Wheaton, LJ Johnson, and Jaylan Knighton in the fold he was looking at 4th or 5th string. Hope he's able to land somewhere that will give him a shot to get on the field.

https://sports360az.com/2023/01/hotline-mailbag-smus-value-in-expansion-fresno-states-future-asus-revenue-edge-cals-woes-and-more/ SMU is exponentially more valuable than Boise, Fresno, et al in the MWC. $2b endowment, UNSWR rankings, and financial commitment to athletics is what will matter most to the PAC presidents. Not to mention access to Texas recruiting which the PAC desperately needs.

That's why NIL is so important. We have a top five transfer class right now in large part due to the two separate NIL groups working in tandem. We can absolutely go head to head with just about anyone in the country in the portal thanks to NIL.

Take a midol dude good grief.

Yep there were some bad losses in there for sure. And I'm not sure that giving up 60 to Houston matters is you score 77. And the two "close" wins you cite (Tulsa and Navy) were 20 plus point fourth quarter leads. SMU was simply bleeding out the clock with backups. I would say for a first year HC it was more good than bad but you would certainly expect Lashlee and the staff to grow from year one to year two. We will absolutely be more talented (especially on defense) next year. If we can snag a couple of these whales we're after we will be favored in every game except OU and TCU.

If we can close on a couple big time prospects we will likely have the highest rated transfer class in the nation. The kids we're "losing" in the portal are largely depth pieces or have rightly made the determination that they will be recruited over either with HS signees or the portal. The only significant contributor to transfer is Mordecai who was not coming back regardless given the situation with Preston Stone. As far as our record this year I was a bit disappointed that we couldn't close out the fourth quarter lead we had at Maryland. But that's a tough opponent on the road early in the season. We lost to TCU by 8 and Cincinnati by 2. Losses are losses but for a first year head coach I think it was a decent transitional year with big wins over Houston and Memphis. With the influx of transfer portal talent there is absolutely no excuse SMU should be anything less than 9-3 next year and playing in the AAC championship game. Lashlee knows this. The team knows this. The two NIL groups know this. We will have vastly superior talent to every team in the AAC next year. Doesn't mean anything until you play the games but I'll take my chances with a two deep full of P5 talent at every position.

I agree that aspect of it does feel a bit dirty but you can see what they're trying to do trying to emulate Sport Trac and some of the other algorithmic websites to assign "value" to players and their contracts. I think its a pretty neat and intuitive tool to be honest.

Yep saw that. Hard for a kid from Norman to turn down a chance to play for his hometown team. We're taking a swing. He's on campus and has a pretty sweet NIL. BTW, SMU has the #3 transfer portal team ranking according to On3. https://www.on3.com/transfer-portal/team-rankings/football/2023/

What can you guys say about Jake Roberts? He's at SMU today. Deciding between Arkansas, Baylor, and SMU.

He's gonna get a bag from NIL but I would certainly think North Texas makes a ton of sense for him.

Love Tanner but it was time for him to move on. Tough kid that played pretty well, especially this year with a new coaching staff that he didn't envision having to deal with when he transferred here from OU. That said, its Preston Stone's time now. He is easily the most highly regarded prospect to sign with SMU since the Death Penalty and has patiently waited his turn (even when Sonny and TCU NIL tried to get him to transfer last year). I'm anxious to see how he pairs with 4 star transfer RB Jaylon Knighton (Miami), 4 star transfer RB LJ Johnson (A&M), and last year's five star transfer RB Camar Wheaton (Bama). I clearly think we'll be more of a true Power Spread offense next year as Preston hopefully grows into being the starter. Wish Tanner nothing but the best at Wisconsin.

Really like this hire for North Texas. O is a very well connected and highly regarded guy in DFW. Outstanding!

If they aren't good enough to play at SMU I don't think Sonny really wants them in Fort Worth but more power to them if that's where they want to go!

I mean it kind of is isn't it? Would be nice if you guys could make this is a game once every seven or eight years. Hoping the next coach can make it a bit more competitive.

Obsession is a stinky cologne.

Scoreboard.

This was anticipated based on the four game rule and the fact that these four young men were not making much (if any) contributions on the field. They can now transfer without losing a year of eligibility and opens up SMU's second NIL group that specifically targets transfers to start thinking about where to best allocate our resources. We wish them the best of luck and yes they will continue to be paid their NIL until they've left campus. That's the least SMU can do for them.

We are literally announcing today that we've fully funded a $100m plus expansion and renovation of Ford Stadium. It took all of five months to fully fund the project. We've also fully committed to paying every player on our roster as well as a separate grassroots NIL that will specifically target transfers. This all while undergoing a near $2b capital fundraising campaign for the university as a whole. The money isn't going anywhere. If anything Sonny was probably the catalyst to get the athletic department, billionaire donors, and grassroots donors all aligned and rowing the boat in the same direction. There will be no G5 school (and many P5's) that will be able to match up financially with what is on the horizon at SMU.

You mad bro?

shhh. Don't ruin the surprise! Its a pretty big announcement that should make quite a bit of news both here and nationally. 100% agreed on the concourse area. Its incredibly cramped. Ford was great when it first opened in 2000 but there have been minimal upgrades. Thanks to the $100m (already fully funded) renovation it should remedy a lot of those issues.