SMU’s Backup Quarterback Enters Transfer Portal Before College Football Playoff

The College Football Playoff logo on the field in Arlington, Texas, before a game between Notre Dame and Alabama on Jan. 1, 2021. Roger Steinman/AP Photo

SMU will lose junior quarterback Preston Stone after the season via the NCAA transfer portal, but the Mustangs backup will stay with the team for the College Football Playoff.

Stone has been with the program since 2021, and he started 12 games for the Mustangs in 2023 and the first three games this year before he got benched. Kevin Jennings took over the starting role and threw for 3,050 yards and 22 touchdowns versus eight interceptions, and he rushed for 379 yards and five touchdowns.

While Stone has played sparingly since a loss to BYU on Sept. 9, he expressed gratitude for his time at SMU in a Dec. 10 statement he posted on X. He called playing for the Mustangs “one of the greatest honors of my life” and thanked the fans and his coaches, teammates and family.

“It has been an incredible ride playing for this school, and I’m very grateful for every blessing SMU has provided me,” Stone wrote.

Stone will graduate from SMU’s Cox School of Business this month, which coincides with his decision to transfer. Athletes can compete in NCAA-sanctioned sports while in graduate school.

While Stone could be an SMU alumnus before the Mustangs’ playoff run is done, he reiterated his decision to stay with the team through the postseason. The No. 11 Mustangs (11—2) will visit No. 6 Penn State (11—2) on Dec. 21 in the first round.

“The goal set out at the beginning of this season was to win a national championship, and that goal is still within reach,” Stone wrote. “I plan on keeping my commitment to my teammates to finish the remainder of this season as a Mustang and doing whatever I can to help us win it all.”

A Dallas native, Stone has 4,030 yards passing for 35 touchdowns versus eight picks in 28 career games. Jennings’ taking over as a sophomore wasn’t in the works originally, as SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee planned to play both quarterbacks.

“It wasn’t one game or one moment,” Lashlee told reporters on Sept. 10. “Both guys have had a lot of success and won a lot.”

“We’re not performing well offensively, but if you watch, we’ve moved the ball better when [Kevin’s] in there as a team, and that’s not always on the quarterback,” Lashlee added. “We feel like it gives us the best chance to win with this team.”

SMU didn’t lose again in the regular season and finished first in the ACC standings, ascending to a No. 8 ranking. The Mustangs fell short of the ACC championship, losing 34–31 on a last-second field goal to then-No. 16 Clemson (10-3) in the title game on Dec. 7.