The biggest question for the defense, and one of the biggest for the entire SMU football team, is who would step up and replace the starting cornerbacks from a season ago. 

Enter Brandon Crossley.

The sixth-year senior is back at his original position, where he played in all 22 games with four starts in his first two seasons at SMU. The next two he made the move to safety where he played in 18 games with 12 starts.

That is 40 games with 16 starts at SMU, combined with 12 games and a start in one season at Colorado State gives Crossley 52 games and 17 starts in his collegiate career, with more to come.

"Some of the guys always play with me, tell me I'm the pops on the team now," Crossley said. "I don't want to be that, but now it feels good. I got blessed with another opportunity so that's all I can be thankful for."

Crossley started three of the first four games last season, but nagging injuries kept him out. That's when a plan was put together by head coach Rhett Lashlee and defensive coordinator and safeties coach Scott Symons last season.

Hold him out and maintain a redshirt. The new rules allowed him to play in both the AAC championship game and Fenway Bowl and then return for his final year of eligibility.

"I was thankful that they were willing to give me the opportunity because, obviously, they could have told me I could have went anywhere else and not been here," Crossley said. "But it was fun. I learned a lot last year mentally, and then physically I learned how to take care of my body. So it was fun. Like I said, I'm thankful that Coach Lashlee let me come back and do my last year (at SMU)."

Following the spring, another decision was made. The safety room had a ton of experience, including all three starters back from the end of last season. Meanwhile, the cornerbacks room lacked depth along with that experience and veteran leadership.

So Crossley is back where he began.

"I played corner before and the nickel safety, free safety, they played really good at that position last year, obviously that's why we won the championship," Crossley said. "But they moved me to corner just for more opportunities and more film. I played corner and I love it."

It was a similar situation that got Crossley moved to safety to begin with. When Lashlee and Symons came to SMU, there was a defensive system change. In Symons' defense, they needed a coverage safety.

"His best year here was playing corner before we got here," Symons said. "Because of need, they were going from a 3-4, there really wasn't a nickel on our roster. Without moving to nickel, I don't know how we would have got through the season."

Crossley gave the Mustangs exactly what they needed. But when he got injured last season, Cale Sanders Jr. really grew into the position. With Sanders, Jonathan McGill and Isaiah Nwokobia back — along with a lot of depth — at safety, it was another opportunity to switch Crossley.

"Kind of looking at it, it's like why not give this guy an opportunity. I thought, Day 1, he had a really good practice, which is what we expected out of him," Symons said. "He's a very, very cerebral, smart football player. I think a guy that has played as many snaps as him, that's played corner, that understands how to play the game within the game, you would expect that with an older, veteran guy. Something that he can bring to the table, understanding matchups, understanding situational football that maybe some of the younger guys don't understand yet."

And Crossley is picking it back up almost like he never left. 

"You can see why he was an all-conference player in the American at the corner position," corners coach Rickey Hunley Jr. said. "I know that's two years now removed, but you can see why. He's a playmaker. His confidence is obviously that of one you want at the corner position. His physicality, I believe, for us has changed since we've gotten here. He's become a more physical player even at the corner position."

Part of what made his move to safety successful and has made the transition back to corner smooth so far is his style of play. As the nickel, he was asked to do corner-like things even at safety.

That included working with Hunley at times, even though he wasn't in the room.

"It's great. Technique-wise, keep your eyes down, feet, everything," Crossley said of working with Coach Hunley. "Going back to the basics. At safety we get a lot of man work, but we don't get man work like we do at corner. So somebody that understands man and doesn't have to call the defense like Symons does. It's great. Technique work, I feel like I'm getting better. Hunley, when I was at safety, they used to send me over to Hunley for man technique. He's a great, great teacher."

As impressed as Hunley has been with how quickly Crossley is getting back in the swing of things at corner is his attitude about the change. Crossley doesn't approach it like a demotion from his old position or like he is entitled to anything going back to corner. 

He is just there to work and that attitude has been picked up on by the rest of the room.

"Your peers notice that, as well. And then hopefully that guy comes in and he pushes you," Hunley said. "He causes you to raise your game. That's what we talk about in recruiting. That's what we talk about in position change. I'm trying to find a guy that can beat you out, your job is to not allow him to beat you out. So everybody sharpening their blade."

Then there is the other aspect of Crossley's game that fits in at corner better than safety — trash talking and chirping. At safety he would be lined up against the slot receivers more often than not and not necessarily right across the line of scrimmage from them.

Now, he gets the opportunity to talk all the way back to the line of scrimmage before the next snap.

"I love Brandon Crossley," Symons said. "That's the one thing you've got to understand with Crossley, the energy that he brings to practice every day elevates everybody. At times do we got to rein it in? For sure. Is there times where I'm chewing him, yelling at him? Absolutely. But he knows it's one of the things that we've worked on. I think he's grown. 

"In my time with him last year, I thought he grew by leaps and bounds as far as learning when to bring the energy and when not to just talk to talk all the time. You've got to understand that's one of the positives that Brandon brings to the table too. You try to rein that in and control it, but at the end of the day, I won't B Cross to be B Cross and be comfortable and confident in his own skin and in what he brings to the table."