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LB McBryde answering the call after being out of football weeks ago

In back-to-back games, SMU graduate transfer linebacker Richard McBryde has accumulated 19 tackles, 13 of which were solo. He had 10 tackles in last week's win against TCU, nine in Saturday's win against USF. In both games, he led SMU in tackles.

A few weeks ago, the Auburn transfer was working at an elementary school in Alabama. He also was coaching football on the side.

Not playing. Coaching.

Here's a linebacker who spent three seasons playing SEC football at Auburn, a guy who played in the 2017 SEC Championship Game, personally out of football roughly six weeks ago. It wasn't as if McBryde couldn't play the game; if that were the case, the Troy, Alabama, native would have never earned an Auburn offer -- or any of the other offers from Power 5 heavyweights that were interested in him as a four-star recruit in the 2015 class.

This is no slouch athlete here. He was an Under Armour All-American in 2015. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds. He was named the USA Today Defensive Player of the Year for the state of Alabama in 2015 after recording 147 tackles, seven sacks and two pass breakups during his senior season.

Perhaps some schools saw him as damaged goods. McBryde missed the 2018 season after sustaining a season-ending neck injury during preseason camp. His last game was against UCF in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 1, 2018. He recorded a tackle as Auburn's reserve strong- side linebacker playing behind Darrell Williams.

Whatever the reason, a few weeks ago, MCBryde wasn't playing football.

Linebacker Richard McBryde (right) has stepped up his play with the injury of Richard Moore.
Linebacker Richard McBryde (right) has stepped up his play with the injury of Richard Moore. (Rob Graham)

It's all something of a funny story now for the 6-1, 232-pound SMU linebacker, who has taken over the starting middle linebacker position for Richard Moore, who has been sidelined with a season-ending knee injury. McBryde was a big part of SMU's win at then- No. 25 TCU on Sept. 21, and he was a catalyst in SMU's 48-21, American Athletic Conference-opening win at USF on Saturday.

After Saturday, McBryde is tied with Pat Nelson for the team lead in tackles. Six weeks ago, the guy working at an elementary school couldn't get a coach to return a message.

"I emailed different schools, like 30 schools," McBryde told reporters after Saturday's USF victory. "Nobody hit me back."

McBryde thought he may have had a connection with Oklahoma State, but things didn't pan out. One person McBryde said did reply was Jonathan Brewer, SMU's offensive quality control analyst. Brewer knew McBryde from when he served as an offense analyst working with the wide receivers at Auburn in 2016. Offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee also was at Auburn during that span.

McBryde said he and Brewer connected, and the linebacker asked about any opportunities on The Hilltop.

"I said, 'Hey, are you guys in need of a linebacker?'" McBryde said. "And it just went from there.

"In my mind, since it was fall camp, I was like whoever emailed me back, I was going. SMU hit me up."

McBryde now has a chance to write his own story of second chances. And he has the chance to do so for an SMU program that has every opportunity to become one of the greatest teams The Hilltop has ever seen. The Mustangs are 5-0 for the first time since 1983, and they are considered the favorite in almost all of their remaining games.

The hardest part for McBryde, obviously, was learning SMU's scheme as quickly as possible. He arrived on campus the last month of August, but in a short span, he worked his way up as the backup to Moore, a player Sonny Dykes considers irreplaceable when discussing how much he meant to the team on and off the field.

"Richard's obviously a very important player for us. He's one of our team captains and one of the leaders of our football team," Dykes said of Moore. "He's one of our best defensive players, for sure.

"When you lose somebody like that, some other guys have to step up, and Richard McBryde has done a good job of doing that trying to fill those shoes."

"The first week," McBryde said, "I was trying to pick up on the playbook. I picked up on the playbook, and then Richard went down. I pretty much had no choice but to pick it up and start playing."

You'd never know that he didn't know the playbook a few games ago, as he's been a major contributor to a rising defense. What's best is that he earned a degree from Auburn, and he is a graduate transfer with, counting this season, two years of eligibility left after redshirting as a freshman.

McBryde won't be asked to be Moore in practice or in game environments, but his style and demeanor fits well for an SMU defense that has asked him simply to be a reliable contributor. Dykes understands the transition, but he's also expecting McBryde to hear the "next man up" calls after Moore's injury.

Which McBryde has answered thus far.

"We're not going to replace Richard [Moore]. He just means too much to our program to be able to do that," Dykes said. "But it's a chance for some other guys to step up and perform at a high level for us."

"I go out to practice every day to keep us motivated," McBryde said, "I'm trying to do whatever to keep the guys motivated."

It's a noble act for a guy out of football roughly six weeks ago, a noble act for someone with a lot to prove, and a noble act for someone who has stepped up when needed.

"I pretty much do the same thing Richard Moore did," McBryde said. "We just play ball."


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