When SMU Mustangs quarterback Kevin Jennings decided to run another season in college football, he thought of leveling up. Instead, he got snubbed. CBS Sports analyst Danny Kanell cherry-picked his top 10 quarterbacks for the 2026 season. But Rhett Lashlee’s signal-caller was nowhere in sight. That’s when Lashlee called out the Florida State legend on his podcast. 

“I got a bone to pick with you, Danny,” Lashlee dived straight into business on the College Sports on SiriusXM podcast. “I thought you were a ball knower. I was really looking forward to retweeting ball knower with you, and I couldn’t do it because you’re not.

Here’s what I’ll say about Kevin. Kevin carried us last year, especially on offense, and so Kevin made a big jump from his first year to last year.  There’s a great quarterback class coming back next year, but there’s no list that starts with him not in the top ten.”

Kanell’s list featured the top 10 returners at the position and included Texas’ Arch Manning, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, Miami’s Darian Mensah, among others. If we travel back to November, 2025, it was the same Jennings who was one of the passing leaders after week 10, who now got snubbed by Kanell.

So, Lashlee had enough reasons for calling out the analyst for casually missing out on his quarterback. Jennings threw for a career-high 365 yards, leading SMU to a 26-20 overtime stunner over Miami. Homecoming in Dallas turned into a headline-worthy showdown, and the Mustangs stayed hot in the ACC hunt.

But Lashlee’s squad hit a rough patch against the California Golden Bears, dropping a 38-35 heartbreaker and narrowly missing out on an ACC championship streak. The Mustangs had clawed back into the game, taking the lead when T.J. Harden bulldozed in from a yard out with just 2:22 left on the clock.

The Golden Bears struck back instantly. Quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele led a 75-yard march in just seven plays, finishing it off with Raphael’s 12th rushing touchdown of the season. With eight seconds left, SMU’s Sam Keltner had a 52-yard field-goal try, and it slipped wide right. But does that mean Lashlee’s quarterback did not do enough last season? No.

He has been a prized quarterback as he put up some heroic feats, like that against Syracuse. He dominated Syracuse by running 285 yards and a personal-best four touchdowns, completing 29 of 35 passes (82.9%). It was the second-highest completion rate in SMU history for 20-plus attempts. Do you remember his feat against Stanford?

With under seven minutes left in the first quarter at home against Stanford, Jennings pulled off some magic, a behind-the-back toss off a play fake connected perfectly with tight end RJ Maryland for a nine-yard gain. 

Lashlee was under the perception that these plays would have been enough for Kanell to consider the SMU quarterback in the top 10. That’s because the former Florida State quarterback himself led the Seminoles to a 20-3-1 record. So, he has earned the reputation of a “ball knower.” However, the Mustangs’ head coach’s wound might snub less, knowing Georgia’s Gunner Stockton, too, could not make it to the list. 

But what makes Lashlee hopeful of the 2026 season?

Rhett Lashlee’s offensive safety net for Kevin Jennings

The Mustangs needed to fill the void in 2026, replacing their top two running backs. Turns out that Lashlee got lucky to find a veteran. Kendrick Raphael just wrapped a monster season at Cal. He racked up 943 rushing yards, making 14 trips to the end zone. 

The running back sealed his legacy with All-ACC honors. This season, in Lashlee’s program, he will be teaming up with sophomore Derrick McFall and redshirt freshman Dramekco Green to keep the backfield humming and reduce pressure for Jennings. 

Lashlee’s wide receivers unit was already loaded with talent, but experience was needed heading into 2026. That’s where Yannick Smith of East Carolina comes in as a two-year starter with 44 receptions for 583 yards in 2025. At 6-foot-3, 207 pounds, the junior’s size gives SMU a major weapon on third downs and in the red zone.

Amidst these additions, according to ESPN, the headline retention win for the 2026 season is offensive tackle PJ Williams. His 2025 season earned him second-team All-ACC recognition, surrendering a mere 2.6% pressure rate. That’s the fourth-best among ACC right tackles. In that way, Williams’ consistency reduces these high-risk situations, giving Kevin Jennings a safer environment to execute plays.

With Rhett Lashlee spreading out the safety net for him, can the quarterback prove Danny Kanell wrong?