DALLAS — The Mustangs didn’t waste anytime trying to restock their coffers after a 51-10 meltdown to Louisiana Tech University during the Dec. 20 Frisco Bowl.
In the last 48 hours, Southern Methodist University Head Coach Sonny Dykes has extended offers to a plethora of Texas talent from the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) and the University Interscholastic League (UIL).
Four of those potential weapons graduate in 2019 and another my be one of the most talented receivers of the 2020 class. Each, if successfully committed and sign could give SMU a level of legitimacy it hasn’t seen since before the mid-decade “death penalty” that banned the Mustangs from the 1987 season and didn’t allow them to play home games until 1988.
They could also help recoup the loss of Courtland Sutton via a top 10 pick in this year’s NFL Draft.
Jayce Medlock (6-foot-3, 205-pounds)
London McBay (center) looks on as Jayce Medlock (left) catches a two-point conversion during the Lancaster Tigers’ Sept. 15, 2017 game against the Corsicana Tigers at Beverly D. Humphrey Tiger Stadium in Lancaster. The home team beat the visitors 41-23 in their home opener. Photo courtesy Morgan Johnson/LHS Tiger Student Media
Lancaster’s three-star tight end will graduate after the 2018 season and should be a focal point of the Tigers’ offense in his final season in black, orange, and white.
Medlock gained 317 yards and scored two touchdowns as a junior despite sharing receptions and red-zone targets with Jaiden Dockery and Dequavius Sneed. Sophomore Rodney Hudson seems like the likely replacement for Trevor Hatton after his graduation and will need a tough, sure-handed pass catcher to attack the middle of the field.
Dykes could too in 2019, but he will have to battle others — including current interested programs from the University of Illinois and Jackson State University — for Medlock’s services.
He could be more valuable addition if the Mustangs were to find a way to place him side-by-side with Randon Haynes, a former Waxahachie Indian and current 6-foot-4 and 330-pound Tyler Junior College offensive tackle. Haynes is scheduled to visit SMU this weekend.
Jayden Jernigan (6-foot-1, 270 pounds)
Photo courtesy 247Sports
Jernigan, Allen High School ‘s class of 2019 three-star defensive tackle, has become a hot commodity in the wake of the Eagle’s dispatching of Lake Travis in the state championship.
Dykes didn’t miss the memo on arguably the most important player on a defense that allowed 23.2 points per game in the playoffs and 13.7 during the 10-game regular season stretch. Neither did Baylor, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, the Universities California-Los Angeles and Southern California, or any of the other five teams currently hunting for a game-changing centerpiece for their defensive lines.
Trejan Bridges ( 6-foot-3, 175 pounds)
https://twitter.com/trejanbridges/status/953649133096665088
Dykes will have to pull a “robbery” on Lincoln Riley and the Sooners to swipe hard commit Trejan Bridges off the table and into SMU’s future. Bridges, the No. 38 wide receiver and the No. 27 athlete in the state and the No. 227 athlete nationally, committed to Oklahoma Sept. 5.
The Carrolton Hebron High School 2019 four-star wide receiver hauled in 63 receptions, 909 yards and 13 touchdowns in his junior campaign with recent Houston signee Clayton Tune feeding him the ball. He had 19, 233 and four, respectively, as a sophomore.
Bridges is a dynamic receiver who enough agility to transform short passes into long gains and enough blazing speed to outpace double coverage and torch opposing secondaries downfield. According to Hudl, he was clocked at 4.80 seconds in the 40-yard dash and 4.21 seconds in the 20-yard shuttle.
He would compete for time with CeeDee Lamb and Charleston Rambo in Norman, but could be the focal point at receiver in Dallas if Dykes can manage to changer his mind. Any additions to the current college football postseason format — either to a six-team or eight-team playoff — could open the doors for a SMU national championship and help draw talent like Bridges to SMU and the American Athletic Conference.
Ty DeArman (5-foot-11, 185 pounds)
Photo courtesy BeRecruited.com
If Dykes needs a three-star defender approaching shutdown status, he may need to look no further than DeArman.
Arlington Bowie High School’s junior standout was decisively better than the team’s 3-7 overall record. He was the Volunteers’ second leading tackler (64) and leading interceptor (3) and added four pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and a sack.
SMU currently is in competition with Kansas, San Diego State, Southern Mississippi, Tulsa, and Wisconsin for DeArman’s class of 2019 talent. The Mustangs currently have three cornerbacks on their roster — Ar’mani Johnson, Justin Guy-Robinson, and Eric Sutton — going into the 2018 season.
Zeriah Beason (6-foot, 200 pounds)
Zeriah (above), the cousin of resident Bishop Dunne star Marquez Beason, could be the nest great Falcon and a future SMU Mustang if the stars align for Sonny Dykes. Photo courtesy EJ Holland/247Sports
In Zeriah Beason, Bishop Dunne’s unrated 2020 wide receiver, SMU called up a curious combination of a double-reverse and a hook-and-ladder — clever if it works, but risky if it doesn’t. Zeriah is also resident star senior Marquez Beason’s cousin.
Zeriah, the youngest of the group, has a build more akin to a running back. He, however, may be the best pure athlete, regardless if TAPPS players are regarded on a lower scale as those in the UIL.
With seemingly either junior Peyton Culbertson (392 yards, 3 TDs) or freshman Simeon Evans (1,138 yards, 14 TDs) battling for the starting position next season, the sophomore speedster looks to be the heir-apparent to his cousin’s throne. He finished as the Falcons’ fourth-leading receiver after gaining 225 yards and two touchdowns on 16 receptions.
Zeriah, if paired with a X receiver like Bridges and a tight end like Medlock, could wreak havoc in a slot receiver role with a no-huddle pace.
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Marcus Matthews-Marion is the managing editor of TexasHSFootball, covering prep football throughout the Lone Star State and collegiate and professional football throughout the country. Follow him on Twitter, @TheMJMatthews, and read more of his content here.
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