As a reserve, 2020 has been a show for CB Brandon Crossley

Before he officially arrived at SMU earlier this year, transfer sophomore cornerback Brandon Crossley chatted with The HillTopics and answered a basic question with a simple answer.

The question: What's your plans once you officially make your transfer public?

"Gotta let 'em know," he said.

After nine games, Crossley has been a man of his word. Since arriving at SMU in July after transferring from Colorado State, Crossley has been a steady playmaker and one of the most exciting players on SMU's defense.

While a victory wasn't in the cards for the Mustangs last Saturday at Tulsa, Crossley once again reminded everybody why his transfer move was a valuable one in SMU's favor. Early in the first quarter, Crossley intercepted a Zach Smith pass and raced 18 yards for his first pick-six of his college career.

It was his fourth interception of the 2020 season. Crossley is one of only two FBS football players -- the other being Georgia Southern cornerback Derrick Canteen -- to record four interceptions this season.

It's a noteworthy statistic, but what makes it so much more impressive is that while he's played in nine games, he's only started two -- against North Texas on Sept. 19 and against Cincinnati on Oct. 24.

"The thing we say over and over again is he's a playmaker. He makes plays," SMU head coach Sonny Dykes said. "He's just got a nose for the football."

Crossley recorded his first college interception on Sept. 26 in a win against Stephen F. Austin. The following week, he had a pick in a win against then- ranked Memphis. The next game after that, Crossley intercepted a Tulane pass in overtime to help the Mustangs claim a 37-34 victory.

"Coach Dykes was talking to Shane [Buechele] on the sidelines, and I walked up to him and said, 'Put defense on the field first,'" Crossley said following the Tulane game. "I kept telling him to put defense on the field first, and we were going to get a stop."

Dykes added: "He came to me in overtime and said, 'Hey, we're going to get a turnover.' He was the guy that did it."

Crossley's freshman year at Colorado State included nine tackles and four pass breakups. He played all 12 of Colorado State's games in 2019 and started the season finale at nickelback against Boise State.

For the 2020 season, Crossley has 17 total tackles (14 solo) and five pass breakups. It speaks volumes when a cornerback has just as many interceptions as pass breakups. If anything, it should send a direct message.

"He plays with a lot of confidence. He plays aggressive," Dykes said. "He's one of those guys who's going to make plays for you."

Crossley, still only 19 years old, is the first to say he has high expectations when he's on the field. He chalks up his success to proper preparation in practice settings.

Crossley admits that with his work ethic, he's tried to set a tone as one of the newest members on the team. He'll say that his interceptions on Saturdays happen because of everything done behind the scenes throughout the week.

"If I'm around the ball 20 times in practice, I can give you one in the game," he said. "If I'm around the ball 30 times in practice, I can give you two in a game."

With two regular-season games and a bowl game remaining this season, Crossley will have a shot at making the SMU record books. The program's single-season record for interceptions is eight, set by Jim Livingston in 1968, but seven picks in a season has been done six times. Six picks in one season has been done five times.

Adding interceptions to a player who isn't even a full-time starter could be considered overly optimistic. For Crossley, however, it isn't a far-fetched idea.

Particularly since Dykes considers Crossley one of the players every team needs -- someone who simply has a knack for being around the football to make timely plays.

"There are players you coach sometimes who just know where the ball's going and has a knack for making plays. He's got that," Dykes said of Crossley. "He has an ability to anticipate throws and anticipate routes. ... he's like a receiver playing corner.

"It's not every day that corners have that skill set. A lot of times, they're faster guys but maybe don't have great ball skills. He can play the football. It doesn't surprise me when he make plays."