Mitchell, Smith To Fight For SMU Starting Job

True freshman Bo Levi Mitchell and Braden Smith have been tapped as the Nos. 1 and 2 quarterbacks on the Hilltop, head coach June Jones announced today. The two will continue to compete for the starting job as the Mustangs’ Aug. 29 season opener at Rice quickly approaches.

“After going through all of the tapes, I felt like Bo and Braden had a better understanding of the offense,” Jones said in a release. “I think they’re executing a little bit better, so we’re going to give them the reps. We will continue to give the other guys reps too, but those guys will get the focus.”

The move shuts out two-year starting quarterback Justin Willis, who sat out of spring practice after being suspended from the team, and later reinstated.

It’s a surprising move, I think. Starting Willis this year and redshirting Mitchell and Smith would have given the new SMU staff an additional year to work with the new quarterbacks. Nobody would question Jones if he started Willis, even if Willis and the team performed poorly. It would have been chalked up to a transition year.

Now, if the Mustangs don’t perform well, people are going to question what would have been if Willis was QB.