The surprise
Fourteen players signed their names on the dotted line Wednesday, making their commitments to SMU official. Most of those 14 were predictable, having already signed with the Mustangs in the previous months.
One wasn't. Defensive end Nelson Paul, who received interest from several G5 programs, pledged to the Mustangs late Wednesday, becoming the only member of the class who hadn't previously committed to sign his LOI.
Paul might turn out to be a steal. The 6-foot-2, 215 pounder recorded 39 sacks in two seasons at Flagler-Palm Coast, including 21 last season. His speed is great, as he runs a 4.5 40-yard dash. His size was the question mark, however, but that won't matter too much in the AAC, where he can use that speed to beat bigger linemen.
The unsigned
RB/ATH T.J. McDaniel did not sign, telling the Dallas Morning News that he will sign in February. He told the paper that he was "waiting on his suit" and out of state. He says he's still a solid Mustang pledge.
Shamar Johnson didn't sign either, but his teammate Rashee Rice did. SMU fans shouldn't be too worried. He responded to a tweet from current WR Reggie Roberson Jr. saying that the team will be "getting to that conference championship too."
Xavier Gipson, King McGowen and Henry Mossberg all remain unsigned. Gipson told HillTopics in November that he would sign in the spring. We have reached out to the other two to see what their plans are.
The fabulous five
SMU had five prospects with a 5.6 Rivals Rating, signifying a high-end 3-star, Each of them signed today. Those players are QB Terrance Gipson, WR Keontae Burns, WR Rashee Rice, WR Calvin Wiggins and RB Ulysses Bentley. Safe to say that the Mustangs will be loaded at the skill positions in the coming years.
Receiver was by far the best position for the Mustangs, as three signed and another is on the way in February.
Where they'll play
Half of SMU's signees will play defense. The other half will play offense. On the defensive side, SMU got four DBs, a DT and two DEs. On the offensive side the Mustangs got a QB, a RB, three receivers and two lineman.
Where they came from
Nine of the signees came from Texas. Of those nine, five came from DFW, two came from Houston, one came from San Antonio and one came from East Texas. Two players came from Louisiana, where Dykes and his staff made inroads after bringing in one player from the state during the last recruiting cycle. Florida, California and Arizona provided one each, though Cobe Bryant, out of Riverside C.C. is technically from Michigan. Nelson Paul became SMU's first Florida signing since 2014.
Other notes
Cobe Bryant was the first one to sign, as SMU received his LOI at 7:13 A.M. CT. Fitting that he was, because it's been a long road for him. He only played football in his last two years of high school and left one JUCO after he was told he couldn't play the position that he wanted. Now he's a bonafide Division I football player.
Paul was the last one to sign, with his LOI arriving at 1:25 P.M. CT.
The full list
