Kevin Jennings wasn't even the player that Rhett Lashlee was going to watch when he went to his first Texas high school playoff game a week after becoming SMU's coach.
Three years later, Jennings is the only quarterback starting for his hometown team in the debut of the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. He is one six QB starters still at the schools where they began their college careers, including Clemson's Cade Klubnik playing in his hometown at Texas in their first-round game Saturday.
Of the six transfers, four are in what will be the only season with their current team. Kurtis Rourke with surprising Indiana or Riley Leonard of Notre Dame will play his final game Friday night in the playoff opener matching one-year hired guns.
Atlantic Coast Conference newcomer SMU plays Saturday at Penn State, where Drew Allar is the second-year starter and has already announced that he will be back next season. That is the only first-round CFP game with both starters at their original schools.
“That’s a good stat,” Lashlee said. “For Kevin to be a Dallas high school player ... and has been here for the duration, that’s really special.”
Lashlee was hired by SMU on a Sunday night, talked to his new team the next morning and spent several days trying to keep intact the roster of an 8-4 team in the first year the transfer portal was available. There was also the early signing period, and the former offensive coordinator finally got out to look at some high school players that first Saturday of December.
When Lashlee went to watch some players from Lovejoy High in the Texas 5A playoffs, the quarterback on the other team really caught his attention. Jennings led South Oak Cliff to a victory that day, and later won the first state title for a Dallas Independent School District team since 1958.
“Everything happens for a reason. The timing was right and it ended up the way it was supposed to,” Lashlee said of that chance encounter. “Kevin was meant to be here and be our quarterback. Really glad it worked out the way it did.”
Jennings has already said he will be back on the Hilltop next year. His first start for SMU was in last year's American Athletic Conference championship game after Preston Stone broke his leg. Stone started the first three games this year before Jennings got the job.
