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3 transfer questions for SMU before the portal opens: How many transfers will be added?

As the transfer portal officially opens on Monday, what position does SMU need to target most?

Get ready, because the college football world is about to shift dramatically when the transfer portal opens on Monday. Thousands – yes, with an ‘s’ at the end – of players are set to enter, providing a deep talent pool for teams to pluck from.

For SMU, it’s an opportunity to improve that can’t be missed.

With that being said, here are three SMU questions heading into the opening of the transfer portal:

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What position does SMU need to target the most?

Out of respect for his current team, SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee declined to answer what needs the Mustangs need to address immediately in the transfer portal. That doesn’t mean the Mustangs don’t have needs, however, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

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The SMU defense has allowed an average of nearly 35 points per game this season. A big reason why has been a rushing defense that’s struggled to tackle, allowing an average of over 200 yards per game and nearly five yards per carry.

Defensive coordinator Scott Symons has repeatedly talked about his team’s tackling problems this year, saying that the most improvement will happen in the offseason. Recently, he also said that the Mustangs anticipated more players that fit their system and desires would be available in the transfer portal last year than there actually was.

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That shouldn’t be an issue come Monday. In fact, SMU has already targeted West Virginia graduate transfer corner Charles Woods, a Kimball alum. Stanford graduate transfer Jonathan McGill, a Coppell alum, would also make sense for the Mustangs. McGill was a four-year starter at Stanford. He committed to SMU out of high school before he signed with Stanford.

Expect the defensive secondary to be a focus point for SMU on Monday.

Will SMU add a quarterback?

On the surface, this probably seems like a dumb question. Former All-American recruit Preston Stone was lighting Tulsa up in his first career start before he suffered a season-ending broken collarbone. True freshman Kevin Jennings has also played well in two relief appearances, completing 17 of 22 passes for 205 yards and a touchdown.

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There’s a lot of potential for the future of the SMU quarterback room, but – for a team that had to use three quarterbacks this season – there’s not a ton of experience.

Could SMU do what it’s done in the past and add a talented transfer quarterback to the fold? The Mustangs did it with Garrett Gilbert, Shane Buechele and most recently Tanner Mordecai, who intends to turn professional after this season.

There are plenty of quarterbacks already in the portal, including Texas’ Hudson Card, Michigan’s Cade McNamara and Baylor’s Kyron Drones, to name a few.

When Lashlee arrived, he ensured competition would be a core component of the SMU program, including at the quarterback position. Could he and the Mustangs target more competition and potentially more experience to go along with the potential they already have?

How many transfers will SMU add?

Among the rule changes this year, no longer are college football teams restricted to a signing limit of 25 players. Rosters still can’t exceed 85 scholarship players, but without a signing cap, there is more flexibility.

The Mustangs currently have 15 high school players committed. They also haven’t been hit by transfer portal losses like other schools have. So far, only graduate transfer Chace Cromartie and true freshman corner Jayden Lawton intend to enter the portal.

Roster sizes these days are a little bit of a moving target, so it’s difficult to figure out exactly how many scholarships SMU can dish out to transfers. But considering the current recruiting class size, the potential for more of SMU’s current players to enter the portal, and the nearly 20 players that walked on Senior Day last week against Memphis, the Mustangs should have some wiggle room to add players that can fit their needs.

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Perhaps a better question, though: how will SMU diversify how it adds players? Will it solely be one-year additions who can fill needs and add instant impact value? Current SMU safety Nick Roberts is a good example. Or will they add highly-talented transfers who lack experience, but come with plenty of eligibility. Running back Camar Wheaton is a good example from this season.

On Twitter: @JoeJHoyt

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