One year of college football helped to serve as a reality check of sorts for Brandon Crossley. Before transferring to SMU, Crossley spent a year at Colorado State, where he expected to immediately be a dominant defensive back in the Mountain West Conference.

In an early June interview with The HillTopics, Crossley humbly admitted plans didn't go the way he originally expected. He thought he'd be a first-day starter. He was fortunate to make his first career start in the regular-season finale against Boise State.

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"When I first got there, I felt like I was getting cheated -- but really, I was cheating myself," Crossley said. "I thought I was too good. My head was too big. I'm telling you, stars don't matter when you get to college.

"I went in thinking I was going to start off the bat. I realized that everyone is just like me. There are other Brandon Crossleys out here."

The year at Colorado State was one of growth for the new SMU defender. Since July 6, Crossley has been focused on taking classes and working in the athletic program to prepare for the 2020 season.

Now the 5-10, 170-pound athlete is looking to be a primary contributor immediately for the Mustangs, a program he originally committed to before ultimately signing with Colorado State back in 2019. He brings a new level of maturity that he admittedly didn't have as a true freshman, and it's something that could not only assist him in becoming a great American Athletic Conference defender but also rub off on some of the younger athletes on the team.

"I realized I had to get in that playbook," Crossley said of his first year at Colorado State. "Once I did that, the game started to slow down. People aren't as fast as you think once the game slows down. I needed to stay in my playbook and take what the older guys told me."

Crossley added: "I know how to be coachable now. I know how to take advantage of the game. I know how to watch film and where my footwork needs to be. I want to give a shout-out to [Colorado State cornerbacks] Coach [Anthony] Perkins, because he really taught me a lot. I appreciate him for everything he did. He really helped me to break down the game."

A year wiser, Crossley is now ready to compete for starter's minutes in an SMU secondary that includes incumbent starters Brandon Stephens and Ar'mani Johnson at the cornerback position. He's always been a fan of the Mustangs, even wearing a Colorado State uniform, and now he's set to break out, physically and mentally, as a college football player.

"I'm bigger, I'm stronger, I'm faster, and I know a lot more," he said. "I know I'll get even better. I'm just ready."