The SMU Mustangs roster for the 2024 season is taking shape as the team prepares for its initial season in the Atlantic Coast Conference (“ACC“).
The roster has been moulded by incoming recruits from high school and the transfer portal. So, here’s a look at 1) a selected few members of the Mustangs’ 2024 recruiting class, 2) three key departures through the transfer portal, and 3) several of SMU’s significant acquisitions through the transfer portal.
SMU Mustangs 2024 Recruiting Class
As reported by the Dallas Morning News:
On the most recent National Signing Day, SMU football signed six of the top 100 players from the Dallas area, equal to the number signed by Texas and TCU.
Three of SMU’s highly-touted recruits are Derrick McFall, Ka’Davion Dotson-Walker, and Brandon Booker.
Derrick McFall
The 2024 recruiting class is highlighted by four-star athlete Derrick McFall, who is listed on the team roster as both a running back and a wide receiver. From Tyler, TX, McFall originally committed to UCLA. However, the SMU Mustangs flipped him in November 2023.
At Tyler High School, McFall was a standout in three sports. In addition to football, he ran track and played basketball. He was selected first-team All-District 7-5A-I in both his sophomore and junior years. He demonstrated versatility, playing running back, wide receiver, and quarterback.
McFall’s high school offensive coordinator sang his praises:
“Derrick McFall is a dynamic athlete and a student of the game. He shows up daily ready to work and eager to learn. He is also a natural leader both on and off the field. His words carry weight, and when he speaks, the others listen.”
The Mustangs are looking to McFall to pave the way to rekindling the legendary days of the pony express.
Ka’Davion Dotson-Walker
Four-star safety Ka’Davion Dotson-Walker received offers from LSU, Texas, Oklahoma State, and Arkansas. However he chose the SMU Mustangs.
Dotson-Walker was “one of the top overall prospects on [SMU’s] recruiting board for the 2024 cycle.”
National recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman gave the following review of Dotson-Walker after watching him perform in a high school game in 2022.:
Ka’Davion Dotson-Walker was a top performer in the Duncanville-South Oak Cliff clash. The four-star safety is a Swiss Army Knife capable of making plays all over the secondary and shined against the run. Dotson-Walker darts to the football and can lower his shoulder. He’s also reliable in mop-up duty and came up with several difference-making stops along the way covering a ton of real estate in the process.
Brandon Booker
Consensus three-star LB Brandon Booker selected SMU over Stanford, Baylor, Arkansas and Auburn. He comes to the Mustangs from DeSoto High School, where he was a two-time 6A Division II Texas state champion. He was “the anchor of the [his team’s] defense….” Booker was a three-year starter and two-time captain for DeSoto.
#AGTG Final destination #PonyUpDallas @CoachFoster_ @smu_football @CoachMoCrum @CoachHun_SMU @CoachK_Hall @CoachMesser_ @CoachSweeny @FootballDesoto pic.twitter.com/ZXo33uzXl1
— Brandon booker (@BrandonBooker31) September 20, 2023
Booker is 6’1″ and weighs 205 lbs. In his final high school season, he had 137 tackles, including 9½ tackles for loss, and four interceptions.
Key Transfer Portal Departures
Nowadays, all major college football programs lose players in the transfer portal. SMU is not exempt from this phenomenon. Three key losses are OL Marcus Bryant, OL Branson Hickman, and DL Stephon Wright. Each of these three are graduate transfers.
Marcus Bryant
Mustangs Left Tackle Marcus Bryant entered the transfer protocol as a graduate transfer. In four years at SMU, Bryant started 29 games. He was named first-team All-AAC in 2023.
SMU offensive lineman Marcus Bryant has entered the transfer portal as a grad transfer, @On3sports has learned.
He appeared in 13 games in 2023, earning All-AAC First Team honors. Allowed just one sack. https://t.co/VNvB2Ek6qR pic.twitter.com/WtGrTTTO8V
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) February 21, 2024
Branson Hickman
Branson Hickman looks to be headed for Arkansas as a graduate transfer. He “started 33 consecutive games at center for the Mustangs.” In 2023, he was Second Team All-AAC.
Thank you SMU pic.twitter.com/kDbYaMbjgy
— Branson Hickman (@BransonHickman) January 22, 2024
Stephon Wright
Former four-star recruit, Stephon Wright, has entered the transfer portal as a graduate. Wright is a defensive lineman. He began his college career at Arizona State. He then transferred to SMU. He played in five games during the 2022 season, but did not see any action during he 2023 season.
Key Transfer Portal Acquisitions
The Mustangs have endeavored to offset their losses in the transfer portal. According to 247Sports, the SMU Mustangs have the 36th best team transfer portal rating in the country in 2024. Key incoming portal transfers include Savion Byrd, Anthony Booker, Jr., Jonathan Jefferson, and Ashton Cozart.
Savion Byrd
Four-star offensive lineman Savion Byrd is 6’5″ and weighs 296 lbs. He played for the Oklahoma Sooners during the 2023 season, starting four games at left guard. In December 2023, he announced his transfer to SMU.
Coming home Dallas pic.twitter.com/RjHwVCh6Xl
— savion byrd (@byrd_savion) December 19, 2023
The arrival of OL Byrd helps offset the losses of OLs Bryant and Hickman.
Anthony Booker, Jr.
Anthony “Tank” Booker, Jr. is an enormous defensive tackle. He is 6’4″ and weighs 351 lbs.
He has transferred to SMU from Arkansas, where he played in 11 games during the 2023 season.
my new why 🤍 pic.twitter.com/wboKQh35lY
— Tank Booker (@arbj14_) January 11, 2024
Pony Stampede (247Sports) reported on the acquisition of Tank Booker:
“Booker comes to the Mustangs following four years at Maryland and this past year at Arkansas. Over his career, he’s played in 41 games with a pair of starts, collecting 65 tackles, 10.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks to go with two forced fumbles and a pass defended.
“He was a three-star prospect out of Winton Woods High in Cincinnati, Ohio in the Class of 2019 when he committed to Maryland. He was a four-star transfer last year when he committed to the Razorbacks, ranked as the No. 11 defensive lineman in the portal.
Booker has one remaining year of eligibility.
Jonathan Jefferson
DT Jonathan Jefferson comes to SMU from Georgia. Jefferson is 6’3″ and weighs 295 lbs. In high school, he was a four-star recruit. In the 2023 season, Jefferson played in seven games for the Bulldogs.
Jefferson has two years of eligibility remaining.
247Sports has posted the following scouting report concerning Jefferson:
Big bodied defensive end that is a good candidate to kick down to an interior defender. Thick frame and not overly long. Basketball player that is athletic enough to be a situational jump ball wide receiver in high school. More of a 3-4 end than a true edge rusher but has some positional versatility. Big body that can move. Checks the box on productivity. Monochromatic as a pass rusher with limited bend and nuance. Will take what is there defensively but not necessarily a disruptor. Naturally strong but needs to be more assertive. Versatile defensive lineman with a coveted body type that is a likely Power Five starter with NFL Draft upside.
Ashton Cozart
Ashton Cozart is a 6-foot-3, 195-pound wide receiver. He signed with the Oregon Ducks as a four-star recruit in the 2023 class.
Sports Illustrated rated Cozart the No. 93 player in the nation in that 2023 recruiting class.
Im staying home! #PonyUp #ACC #Blessed pic.twitter.com/0eklcc4oIB
— Ashton ✝️ Cozart “Burn the boats” (@Ashton_Cozart25) December 13, 2023
Cozart did not play in any games for the Ducks in the 2024 season. So, he’ll have a full four years of eligibility with SMU.
