July 22, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; SMU quarterback Preston Stone addresses the media during the ACC kickoff at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports SMU quarterback Preston Stone no longer accidentally mentions that his program is now in the American Athletic Conference.
“I’m pretty much programmed to think about (the Atlantic Coast Conference) at this point,” Stone said with a smile Monday at ACC Media Days in Charlotte.
Stone and coach Rhett Lashlee will lead the Mustangs back into the ranks of college football’s power conferences in 2024. SMU joins Cal and Stanford as the three new ACC member schools.
The program’s recent football tradition may be lacking, but SMU played teams like Texas, Texas A&M and Arkansas in the Southwest Conference until the league disbanded in 1996.
“We’ve been on this stage for many years in the Southwest Conference, won over 11 conference championships, three national titles, and had a rich history and tradition,” Lashlee said Monday. “After having that and losing it, now getting it back. I don’t think there’s any doubt that our school and we feel that our program right in the heart of Dallas belongs on the national stage. We’re honored and grateful to have the opportunity to be back.”
The Mustangs haven’t won a bowl game since 2012, but they’re coming off an 11-3 campaign that saw them dominate the American and win the conference championship game. It’s the program’s winningest season since the 1982 national championship campaign.
Aside from the chaos of the recent conference shuffle, Lashlee stressed that he believes SMU deserves the opportunity to be back on that stage.
“We understand it’s a different opportunity,” Lashlee said. “We’re moving up in weight class. Playing 10 power plays in a row, we haven’t done that in almost 30 years in our program. There’s going to be some changes there.”
One of those changes has been bolstering the roster to prepare for new talent. By Lashlee’s count, 13 of SMU’s 20 new transfers play on the offensive or defensive line.
Lashlee noted that SMU’s first two ACC games will be against Florida State and Louisville, the two schools that played in last year’s conference championship game.
“I’m confident we have a team that’s going to be competitive,” Lashlee said. “What does that look like? I don’t know. We’re excited to get out there and see where we’re at.”
Stone threw for 3,197 yards, 28 touchdowns and six interceptions in his redshirt sophomore season in 2023. A Dallas native, he often attended SMU games as a child.
“I remember when Baylor came to town and Courtland Sutton was going crazy,” Stone said. “I remember when Johnny Manziel demolished us in 2012.
“We now have the opportunity to play high-level football in the ACC. I feel incredibly fortunate to be the quarterback for this school. It’s not something I take lightly.”
–Field level media
