The Pony Express 7-17
Green confident in SMU
by Conor Lane
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A.J. Green out of DeSoto, Texas had a great showing at the State 7-on-7 tournament and he thinks he is an expert at winning game-long battles against receivers.
"My ability to shut down my man, just take him out of the game early and keep him out, is probably my best attribute as a player," said Green. "I've been playing football my whole life and I know the game really well. I know that I can shut good receivers down when I play smart and fast."
Green knows that speed and everything at the corner position. If his 4.5 second 40-yard dash time isn't indicative of that then I'm not sure what is.
"You can never be too fast."
The 165-pound corner is working on his strength this offseason, a welcome addition to his already versatile array of skills. He's also going to keep working on his quickness and footwork, and SMU's next camp this upcoming weekend will be a great place to showcase what he's got in the tank.
"Coach (Claude) Mathis wouldn't have left my high school (DeSoto) for a program that wasn't any good so I'm really excited to go to SMU for camp. He was my coach and I trust his word, so if he says I should come out and take a look - then I'm gonna come out and take a look."
SMU has some stiff competition in recruiting Green, however, as the shifty corner has garnered offers from big time Division-I programs like Missouri, California, Oklahoma State, Arizona State, among others.
"I'd love to play in Dallas, they have such a great fan base at SMU and the program is only going to get better. I know a bunch of the guys they're recruiting so I can see the direction they're headed."
Three-star Arlington guard discusses SMU recruitment
by Adam Grosbard
Three-star Juan Seguin (Texas) shooting guard Josh Parrish picked up an SMU offer a couple years ago from Ulric Maligi when he was still a member of the staff. Though contact with SMU has not been consistent since Maligi left the staff, Parrish still tries to keep in touch with the Mustangs' staff.
"Before it was coach Maligi. He was the guy recruiting me, visiting me," Parrish told the HillTopics. "Now I'm in touch with some people in the inner circle. I talk to the strength coach a lot and I talked with coach (Tim) Jankovich once too."
This past season SMU tried to get Parrish to Moody Coliseum for a visit but they were never able to make it work. Before that, Parrish did take a visit to watch an SMU practice.
"Practice is run nicely. Larry Brown is pretty serious getting on guys if they aren't doing it right," Parrish said. "He conducts practice in a pro-manner. He's an NBA coach and you can see that in the way he runs practice. Everything is specific."
Parrish thought the basketball facilities were nice.
"They just got done with the new gym. It's a nice upgrade from the one they last had. The practice facilities seem top-notch, up-to-date," Parrish said.
Parrish's most recent offer came from VCU.
"The coaches had been calling my dad lately so they hit him up with the news," Parrish said.
Parrish's second offer came from TCU, where his brother plays ball.
"We built a good relationship over the past few years," Parrish said. "The coaching staff isn't pressuring me to commit at all. They really just want me to make the best decision for myself and do what I feel is right."
Jordan Ward talks commitment to SMU
by Nathan Baldwin
Kempner linebacker Jordan Ward committed to SMU's 2016 recruiting class on June 27. Ward felt at home with the program that the new coaching staff has already established.
"I chose SMU because I liked the family atmosphere and the chemistry the coaches have with each other," Ward said. "I really enjoyed talking to coach [Van] Malone and coach [Archie] McDaniel about the vision for SMU and decided I wanted to be a part of that."
Ward felt that the coaches truly cared about him, and he got the same vibe from the current Mustang players.
"On my visit I talked to a few players leaving their morning workout and they all emphasized the concern the coaches had for their success on and off the field," Ward said.
One area Ward saw this care from the coaches was in the staff's implementation of state-of-the-art technology to help each player reach his full potential.
"I really enjoyed talking to the SMU strength and conditioning staff about how they prepare athletes to compete at their best," Ward said. "I was very impressed by the amount of technology that is used during training and practice."
SMU's academic opportunity was also attractive to Ward, and on his visit he saw how connected the football program really is to the education that he desires.
"SMU can support me academically and I liked the fact that the study hall room is in the same facility as the weight room," he said. "SMU offers a quality education and a chance for me to become a great man."
At 6-foot-3 and 208 pounds, Ward brings a good combination of size and speed to the Mustang defense. His strong ability to make open-field tackles should continue to fix SMU's problem last year of bringing ball-carriers to the ground.
Refugio athlete talks SMU offer
by Nikki Chavanelle
SMU is not even close to done with getting commitments for the class of 2016 and they're already hot on the tails of many top 2017 athletes.
Incoming junior Jaylon Mascorro is the tight end for Refugio High School. The dual-threat quarterback and athlete is 6-foot-2 and weighs 205 pounds. Mascorro is ranked in the top 40 in the state of Texas and the youngster's first offer, you guessed it, was SMU.
SMU offered Mascorro on April 28 and the University of Houston, to fuel the new UH-SMU rivalry even further, offered him on the 29th.
"I hadn't ever talked to them before and they just called me up, told me they liked what they saw and offered me," Mascorro said. "They told me on the phone that I would be a great fit in their offense and that I was going to help the school come up."
Since SMU was Mascorro's first offer, the new coaching staff was able to give Mascorro a gift that he didn't think would be coming for a while.
"I was shocked because I didn't think I would get an offer my sophomore year, I thought I'd have to wait until my junior year," Mascorro said.
"Kansas is the school I'm most interested after SMU. It's because of the way their offense is run, it fits perfectly to how my offense down here runs. I mean it's the same as SMU," Mascorro said.
Mascorro did mention one thing that could put him over the edge with SMU instead of Kansas.
"But I've never met coaches as good as the coaches at SMU," Mascorro said. "I talked to coach Chad Morris on the day he offered me and he told me he really liked me and he couldn't wait to see me. I'm really impressed with how he came from Clemson."
As the District 15-2A-I Offensive MVP his sophomore year, it's safe to say more schools will be putting their names in the ring for Mascorro's talent in the next couple seasons. Luckily for SMU, Mascorro doesn't care about their past; he only cares about SMU's future.
"I would prefer to be at a school on the rise than a big name program. I want to go there and change things."
SMU commit happy to have teammate joining him
by Adam Grosbard
Cedar Hill corner Eric Sutton committed to SMU in early June and immediately got to work recruiting his teammates to join him on the Hilltop. So when safety Michael Clark committed to SMU, Sutton had a minor issue when he talked with the HillTopics in College Station as Cedar Hill competed for the 7-on-7 State Championship.
"Well, I was excited but he just waited too long," Sutton said, his smile betraying his true emotions. He was supposed to do it two or three weeks ago (when Clark got the offer). But you know he finally did and I'm happy with that."
The idea of going to school together again is strengthening the relationship between Sutton and Clark.
"It's real cool because now we can build an even stronger relationship talking about college and what we're going to major in, what classes. We want to be roommates and stuff like that," Sutton said. "There's a lot that goes into it, us being teammates and now going to the same college."
The two are trying to translate that to the field so it helps their game.
"Really just getting comfortable with each other on and off the field so we can make that transition since we're both going to be in the secondary," Sutton said.
Sutton is still in regular contact with defensive backs coach Jess Loepp.
"He said he was real happy with me coming to SMU, he said was real excited and he can't wait. We just can't wait to really get on campus this year," Sutton said.
Sutton will be at the recruiting cookout at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on July 24 along with the rest of the 2016 class. "It's going to be real fun," Sutton added.
SMU expressing interest in 2018 wing
by Adam Grosbard
2018 Team Texas forward Chris Smith is starting to receive interest from SMU, he told the HillTopics at the Great American Shoot-out on Thursday.
"My coaches have been communicating it to me. My dad needs to call them because they still can't call me," Smith said.
Though it is still extremely early in his recruitment, Smith spoke about the things he likes about SMU.
"I like the campus, I like the coaches. Coach (Larry) Brown is a great coach. He's been everywhere," Smith said. "It'd be nice to play under him."
Smith says he believes the SMU staff is trying to get him out to campus for an unofficial visit. He also reported interest from Baylor and Virginia.
Smith and Team Texas, which features 2017 SMU offers C.J. Roberts and Robert Brown, were coming off of a win over ProSkills 16 Thursday.
"I think it went well. We went on a nice run when we needed to. We always play well when we play as a team," Smith said.
Smith did a good job of attacking the basket and making acrobatic plays to finish at the rim. But Smith's coaches are encouraging the 6-foot-7 forward to take his drives a step further.
"My coaches try to get me to dunk all the time. We're working on dunking instead of laying it up all the time," Smith said.
SMU showing interest in 2017 Louisiana DB
by Conor Lane
Jakobi Jones has generated a lot of buzz of late, and it might have something to do with his outstanding sophomore season. The 5-foot-10 defensive back out of Archbishop Rummel High School in Metairie, Louisiana, is showing that he can do it all from the cornerback and strong safety positions.
"A big part of my game is playing confidently. Not arrogance, but confidence coming from the fact that the competition we face is so good," said Jones. "We have to put so much work in during the off season because we don't play a team that isn't top notch."
It helps that Rummel has Jones on their side.
Whether he's covering a slot, a tight end, or a bigger, stronger wide receiver, Jones isn't worried. He's an extremely versatile defensive back, and he's just at good at pass defense as he is at stopping the run. Making tackles in the open field isn't a problem for him, and his angle pursuit to the ball carrier is second-to-none. He often finishes through tackles with his hat right on the ball.
It comes as no surprise that his aggressive, efficient style of play has drawn attention from programs like Western Kentucky, SMU, and army among others.
"Coaches would like to see me grow a little bit, put a little weight on in the offseason. I'm not too worried though, I still got some time to figure it all out."
When asked where he'd like to play college ball, Jones mentioned that he didn't have any particular preferences.
"I haven't visited that many schools, but coach (Van) Malone from SMU has been recruiting me a lot. I don't know much about the campus, but it's a great school and I'd love an opportunity to play there."
He just might have the opportunity, too. SMU has had a tough time containing opposing offenses in previous years, and loading up on talented, physical defensive backs might just be the remedy to their point-hemorrhaging defense.
"The one thing I will say is that I want to go to a program that wants me because they need me. I don't want to go to a place where they recruited me just because I was ranked highly, I want the opportunity to play and make a difference."
Quick Hits
by Adam Grosbard
• Skyline defensive tackle and SMU offer Joseph Wallace reported that he plans to visit SMU next week either for a camp or the cookout on July 24.
• Urban DFW Elite center Mike Layssard, who was offered by SMU this week, reported to the HillTopics at the Great American Shoot-out that he will visit SMU soon after Live Period ends, possibly as a soon as the first week of August. His teammate point guard DaShawn McDowell also reported that he would visit SMU this upcoming weekend while in town for GASO, though no time is set.