Early Signing Period: SMU Mustangs Class of 2018

Today is going to be a wild one for SMU fans. First, we will get to see the extent of the first early national signing day. After Chad Morris took top recruits away from SMU and brought them to Arkansas, it will be very interesting to see how the class shapes out.

While we do not know how the full class will turn out until February, we do get a fun preview to see if there are some players out there who are ready to commit to new coach Sonny Dykes. After a day of recruiting, fans get to celebrate by watching the current group of Mustangs play in their first bowl game since 2012. Without further ado, let’s welcome the new class of 2018 SMU Mustangs.

Trevor Denbow: 2 star, OLB, 6-1, 220LBS, .70 rating

Denbow kind of came out of nowhere. He is a JUCO defender transferring from Navarro College. All we really know on him is he took a visit on December 15th, committed on December 18th, and plans on signing on December 20th. So he decided pretty quickly, despite Tulsa and Army also offering the OLB. While we do not know much about his ranking, we do have some Hudl tape. The depth at LB is thin, so this will be a key player for the SMU defense moving forward.

Nick Dennis: 2 star, OG, 6-4, 315 lbs, .7745 rating

Dennis is a teammate of Trevor Denbow but plays on the other side of the ball. He had plenty of other offers from teams like ECU, UNT, and Troy. He can be useful not only at guard, but at center as well. The fact that he is versatile makes him a more useful asset from a depth perspective. Plus, he already has collegiate experience. Here is his Hudl page if you are interested.

Levon Livingston: 3 star, OT, 6-7, 275lbs, .8689 rating

Another teammate and fellow offensive lineman of Nick Dennis. He is by far the best 2018 commit that SMU has. It was very clear that SMU and Sonny Dykes really wanted to go straight to recruiting JUCO players. This was an absolutely huge get for Dykes. He had offers from Texas, West Virginia, Baylor, and Nebraska. SMU also beat out two other AAC teams in Temple and UCF. He committed and signed on the same day. Here is his Hudl tape.

Tamerik Williams: 3 star- RB, 6-0, 194lbs, .8409

This running back has huge potential to be a standout. He is a great running back that has the perfect size between a power runner and a speed back. From his Hudl tape, he displays that he can bounce outside to break off big runs, or run straight up the middle for nice gains. His other big offers were from Houston and Memphis. Here is his Hudl tape.

William Brown: 3 star- pro-style QB, 6-4.5, 193, .8305

We have seen this pro-style quarterback’s ranking rise. His size makes him a prototypical quarterback that could blossom in the air-raid offense that Sonny Dykes uses. He has decent arm strength with the ability to escape the pocket when needed. He is similar to Ben Hicks, but probably will need some more time to mature. A red shirt year might do him some good, especially with Hicks being back. Another thing I really like about him is he is a dual-sport athlete. Here is his Hudl tape.

Terry Keys: 2 star, CB, 6-0, 165lbs, .7853

This is one of the more average signings in my mind. There is no doubt that he is talented, but he is very undersized. I think a red shirt year would do him some good, just like new teammate William Brown. A year of practice with weight training could make him a very valuable asset a year from now. This is more of a long-term payoff than a sudden impact player. Here is his Hudl tape.

Initial Reactions:

Compared to some other schools, this was a slower day for SMU. That could be contributed to the fact that recruits are waiting to see how SMU does tonight against LA Tech. The other big point to take away is that Dykes wants to get JUCO players in a win now setting. Overall, this class has started out on the right foot. But the game tonight will change the whole shape of this class. Even in a loss, as long as it is impressive, SMU will be okay. If not, recruits might start shying away.