SMU head coach Chad Morris has been underscoring SMU's depth during fall camp as a reason for confidence in the Mustangs this season. Depth was certainly a precious commodity for SMU the past couple seasons but now Morris sees it as one of his team's biggest strengths.
A large portion of that depth comes from the number of redshirt freshmen on the roster. These members of the 2016 recruiting class came to SMU with high expectations but did not get to see the field last year. Now these 17 players have a year of practices under their belt and are ready to compete for playing time if not starting jobs.