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Trevor Denbow has become a versatile, productive piece at SMU by being comfortable in the unfamiliar

Denbow came to SMU as an outside linebacker, moved to safety, moved back to linebacker last season and is now, once again, a starting safety.

UNIVERSITY PARK — The one-handed interception, the pick that landed him a VIP ticket to Club Takeaway, was not SMU safety Trevor Denbow’s favorite play from last Saturday’s 56-9 season-opening win over Abilene Christian.

No. Instead, Denbow’s favorite play was the blocked punt he had halfway through the first quarter, the one where — if you blinked — you might’ve thought it was a shanked 31-yard punt, rather than a block.

“Just because I haven’t really been on the punt return team here,” said Denbow, who’s in his final collegiate season. “The past couple of years I’ve done the other special teams, so being on punt return and getting a block in the first game is pretty cool.”

It’s also representative of the player Denbow, a former Corsicana and Navarro College player, has been for SMU. Denbow came to SMU as an outside linebacker, moved to safety, moved back to linebacker last season and is now, once again, a starting safety for the Mustangs. Oh, in 2019 he doubled as the team’s punter, as well.

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In summary: Denbow has proved to be a versatile and productive piece for SMU, even when he’s asked to play in unfamiliar positions.

“Trevor’s one of those who is such a good athlete — he’s 220 pounds and he’s going to run a 4.5 [40-yard dash] — and he can do so many different things,” SMU coach Sonny Dykes said of Denbow.

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“He’s kind of been that guy that allowed us to move other people around and kind of get the best people on the field in different positions. He’s kind of like a Swiss Army knife.”

It’s been that way for every stop of Denbow’s career.

At Corsicana he played safety, hoping that he would eventually get Division I college scholarship offers. Eventually, time ran out, and he went to nearby Navarro College for one season. There, he was an outside linebacker.

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For the Mustangs he’s gone back-and-forth, too, including last season, when he started at outside linebacker for SMU.

This offseason, SMU lost former defensive coordinator Kevin Kane to Illinois and added veteran defensive mind Jim Leavitt to the staff. When Leavitt first installed the defense, Denbow was still at linebacker, but when fall started, Denbow said Leavitt sat him down and told him he’d be moving back to safety.

In Leavitt’s mind, there was a need there. Halfway through fall camp he told reporters that Denbow, a captain for SMU, was going to be one of the two starters at safety.

“This guy’s crazy,” Leavitt said of Denbow.

Safeties coach Trey Haverty added: “Love him. You know what you’re getting with Denbow.”

Which means SMU coaches know how to use him, too, leading to the back-and-forth he’s dealt with since his high school days. Denbow said there are a few distinct differences between playing outside linebacker and safety, especially when it comes to reading as an in-the-box linebacker and being the last line of defense as a safety in passing situations, but they’re two positions he knows well now. Being able to move between the two is also a testament to him, Dykes said.

“When you do that to guys sometimes it hurts their ability to get better because they’re moving around so much and they never really get settled into a position,” Dykes said, “but I think this is where he needs to play. I think it makes the most sense for him.

“I expect him to play well.”

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Denbow’s already 1-for-1 on making that happen at safety, as the ACU game showed. “I feel a little more comfortable there,” Denbow said. “I guess you could say I feel a little more free.

“It kind of feels at home.”

Briefly: Dykes said he expects starting corner Brandon Crossley to play against North Texas on Saturday. Crossley, a junior from Little Elm, left the season opener against ACU with an undisclosed injury. He was in a red non-contact jersey at Tuesday’s practice, but Dykes said Crossley felt good and should be ready to go.

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