11/11/2019 football Edit

SMU adds first 2021 pledge in west Texas linebacker

Damon Sayles • TheHillTopics

Managing Editor

Damon Sayles covers SMU for Rivals.com. He has more than two decades of experience and has worked at multiple nationally known media outlets. Follow Damon at @DamonSayles.

With everything that's happening with SMU this season -- a 9-1 record, a College Football Playoff ranking and national television recognition -- the Mustangs have been looking to add firepower by way of recruiting. SMU has been at 10 commitments in the 2020 class.

Monday evening, the Mustangs didn't add to the 2020 class but did begin to add bodies to the 2021 class. Lubbock Coronado linebacker Izaiah Kelley confirmed to The HillTopics that he has committed to the Mustangs.

SMU was his first offer, and he said it was the right fit for him.

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"It's a better education for me and a chance to learn how to be a coach and to learn how to play football," Kelley said. "I think it's a great situation for me."

Kelley added the offer back in June, and he said he's been paying attention to what the team's done all season long. He quickly became a fan, and on Monday, he gave his pledge to head coach Sonny Dykes.

"They're winning a lot of games," Kelley said. "They started to get my focus when they offered me."

Kelley is a 6-2, 175-pound defender who has 84 tackles, a sack, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery through 10 games this season. He was a second-team all-district player as a sophomore for Coronado.