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Ponies Rising: SMU Mustangs 2025 Recruiting Class Rated 16th Best in the Country

Originally posted on Gridiron Heroics  |  By Victor Haltom  |  Last updated 4/6/24

SMU looks to be on the road back to college football prominence. After decades in the wilderness, the Mustangs appear poised to rekindle their past glory days.

In the late 1980s, the NCAA imposed the “death penalty” on the Mustangs. Unsurprisingly, the imposition of that ultimate punishment derailed the Dallas-based stalwart of the gridiron for many years. Now, however, following the passage of 35 years, the Ponies have been welcomed back into the inner circle of college football’s upper crust — the Power Four. And, with access comes opportunity. The Mustangs are beginning to seize the opportunity presented to them by landing highly-touted recruits. Naturally, recruiting success goes hand-in-hand with success on the field.

Before delving into SMU’s recent recruiting successes, let’s hearken back to the Mustangs’ legendary past.

The Storied History of SMU Football

The history of the SMU football program is long and illustrious, but also infamous. While many are familiar with the NCAA death penalty imposed upon SMU, and the ESPN 30-for-30 documentary, Pony Excess, few are familiar with the rich, deep history of the Mustangs’ football program.

1935 National Champions

In an article lustrously entitled, National Treasure: SMU’s Forgotten Yet Glorious Football History, Pete Dymeck of Bleacher Report recounts:

“Southern Methodist University won their first national title in 1935 with a 12-1 record. They scored an eye-popping 288 points while only giving up 39 points. In the regular season, they shut out eight of their 12 opponents, including powerful conference foes Texas and Texas A&M.”

SMU’s lone loss in the 1935  championship season came at the hands of Stanford in the Rose Bowl. It was a hard-fought game, culminating in a 7-0 score.

However, based on SMU’s overall prowess throughout the year, the Mustangs were voted national champions.

The Doak Walker Era

The Doak Walker Award is presented annually to the best college football running back in the nation. Notable recipients of the award include:

Doak Walker played quarterback, halfback, punter, and placekicker for SMU in 1945 and 1947-1949. (He did not play in 1946, because he was inducted into the U.S. Army.)

He was named an All-American in 1947, 1948, and 1949, and in 1948, he won the Heisman Trophy Award.

Walker was a “national phenomenon” throughout the latter half of the 1940s, “[g]racing the covers of numerous national magazines.”

SMU’s Doak Walker Award website explains:

“Because of extraordinary fan interest in Walker, who led the Mustangs to Southwest Conference championships and Cotton Bowl appearances during the 1947 and 1948 seasons, SMU moved its home football games from campus to an expanded Cotton Bowl. The Cotton Bowl recognized Walker’s achievements with a plaque at its main entrance that reads: The Cotton Bowl, the House that Doak Built.'”

In 2007, ESPN ranked Walker as the fourth best  college football player in history.

After his collegiate days at SMU, Walker went on to have a standout career in the NFL. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Don Meredith

Nicknamed “Dandy Don”, the late Don Meredith was well-known as one of the original color commentators on Monday Night Football.

Before MNF, however, Meredith was a starting quarterback at SMU from 1957-1959. Per SMU’s website:

“Meredith was a two-time All-America selection (1958 and 1959)[,] …  setting a Southwest Conference record with 69.6 completion percentage in 1957.

The Chicago Bears selected Meredith in the third round of the 1960 NFL Draft, but traded him to the Dallas Cowboys.

“Throughout his nine-year career with the Cowboys, ‘Dandy’ Don was one of the Cowboys’ most recognizable stars, leading his team to three straight division championships and trips to consecutive NFL Championship games following the 1966 and 1967 seasons. In 1976, Meredith was inducted into the Cowboys’ ‘Ring of Honor’.”

Meredith passed away in 2010.

Jerry LeVias Accepted SMU’s Offer to Become the First African-American Athlete to Receive a Scholarship in the Erstwhile Southwest Conference.

In the 1960s, Jerry LeVias accepted an athletic scholarship from SMU’s football program, and in doing so, became the first African-American football player to earn an athletic scholarship in the Southwest Conference. As set forth on the SMU website:

LeVias, who chose SMU largely because of its accounting program, eventually was named All- America, Academic All-America and Southwest Conference Player of the Year in 1968 when he set the SMU record for receiving yards in a season (1,131).

LeVias went on to play for the Houston Oilers and San Diego Chargers in the NFL.

The Pony Express

SMU was consistently excellent in the early 1980s. In 1980, the Mustangs finished the season ranked No. 20 in the nation, and in 1981, they earned a 10-1 record and the No. 5 spot in the country.

In 1982, the Mustangs, led by the “Pony Express” running back duo of Craig James and Eric Dickerson, flirted with the national championship. SMU finished that season with an undefeated 11-0-1 record. The only blemish on their record was a tie against the Arkansas Razorbacks, who were ranked ninth in the country. At the conclusion of the season, the Mustangs were ranked No. 2 in both the AP poll and the Coach’s poll, the two human polls that comprised the 1982 NCAA football rankings.

Both members of the pony express tandem had prolific careers at SMU, and both went on to have stellar NFL careers. Eric Dickerson was an All-American for the Mustangs in 1981 and 1982. As a running back for the New England Patriots, Craig James was selected for the Pro Bowl in 1985. And, as the No. 7 all-time rushing leader in NFL history, Dickerson is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Five Mustangs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame — No School in Texas Has More

The following five Mustangs are enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame:

  1. Lamar Hunt – Class of 1972
  2. Raymond Berry – Class of 1973
  3. Forrest Gregg – Class of 1977
  4. Doak Walker – Class of 1986
  5. Eric Dickerson – Class of 1999
There are many prominent college football programs in the State of Texas, including the University of Texas, TCU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Baylor, Houston, Rice, and UTEP. None of these prominent programs have more alumni in the Hall of Fame than SMU.

Now, let’s focus on the present:

The Mustangs’ Recent Success on the Recruiting Trail in Advance of Inaugural Season in the ACC

SMU has been hot on the recruiting trail.

Promotions featuring the Pony Express probably don’t hurt.

In the assessment of 247Sports, the Ponies have the 16th highest quality recruiting class. Rivals ranks the Mustangs as the 17th best — tied with Miami and ahead of Texas. According to On3, SMU has the 20th strongest 2025 football recruiting class in the nation.

Rivals rates four of SMU’s 2025 recruits as 4-star players:

  1. Tyren Polley, DB, Duncanville, TX
  2. Javion Holiday, DB, Duncanville, TX
  3. Keelon Russell, QB, Duncanville, TX
  4. Daylon Singleton, WR, DeSoto, TX

The trio of 4-star recruits from Duncanville committed to SMU recently, while Mr. Singleton, the standout wide-receiver from DeSoto, committed to SMU in September 2023.

Success on the recruiting trail translates to success on the gridiron.

The Vegas Stats & Information Network (VSiN) makes this common-sense observation:

“There is naturally a direct relationship between the success a team has on the recruiting trail to what it has on the field.”

Thus, with their recent success on the recruiting trail, the Mustangs have reason for optimism going forward.

For more sports-related news, focused primarily on the USC Trojans, SMU Mustangs, Sacramento Kings, and Los Angeles Rams, please

This article first appeared on Gridiron Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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