Preston Stone will get the Opening Day start for a second season in a row SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee announced on Tuesday.

When the Mustangs open the 2024 season against Nevada in Reno, Stone will be under center. But fellow captain and backup quarterback Kevin Jennings will also see the field after starting the final two games last year.

"Preston's earned the starting job, so Preston will start," Lashlee said after Tuesday's practice. "Kevin has deserved and earned the right to play though, so he will play, but Preston's our starter. He earned that through fall camp. It was a really good competition. I think, like we said from Day 1, for us, competition, if we want that to be what our culture is, it can't be just some people, it's everyone."

Stone started all 12 regular season games in 2023, but left the finale against Navy just before halftime with a broken leg that would keep him out of the AAC championship game and the Fenway Bowl in Boston.

He wasn't fully cleared until the end of spring workouts, but had a strong summer and fall camp to win the job.

"Make no question, Preston's our starter. He earned that in this fall camp," Lashlee said. "But Kevin performed well and so he deserves to play. You earn the right to play. Our team believes in both of them. I think they showed that. They overwhelmingly voted Preston as a captain, says what they think about him. But they also voted Kevin as a captain. So I think that just shows the respect and belief of having both those guys. We have an idea and a plan and we'll let you guys and Nevada figure it out at the same."

Meanwhile all Jennings has done during his SMU career is step up in big situations. He entered the Tulsa game in 2022 for his first college experience and helped the Mustangs hold on and win. He also came in for a crucial 90-plus-yard drive late in the first half of a win against Memphis the same year.

Jennings also entered for Stone last season against Rice and then against Navy before making his first career start against Tulane in the conference championship game, helping lead SMU to the first outright conference title in over 40 years.

"Obviously Preston has more game experience than Kevin, but the game experience Kevin at the end of the year last year is pretty invaluable," Lashlee said. "So good to see him get in the game. Our coaching staff, our team, believes that, honestly, whichever one's in there, we should be moving the football and that's our expectation."

That is another key throughout the offseason competition is that both operate within the SMU offense. One might do something better than the other, and vice versa, or have slightly different skill sets, but there is no change in the offense depending on who is in the game.

"They both were comfortable with what we're doing. I think they both got better as camp went on," Lashlee said. "First couple days, you tell, especially for Preston, some rust. But I think as the camp went on, they both got better. They didn't say the same, that's what you look for. And they both moved offense. 

"Both times when we had live action or scrimmage or move-the-ball action, they moved the offense. They both put the ball in the end zone. Overall, both did a good job of valuing the football. There were some days that it wasn't as good as others. I just think they both showed that they're what they should be after two years, for both of them, comfortable what we're doing."

At the end of the day, the Mustangs have two quarterbacks — and maybe even a third — they feel comfortable taking the field on a game day. That's the task on Saturday.

"I think both Preston and Kevin have handled (the competition) great," Lashlee said ." And also, we've got a lot of confidence in Keldric Luster. Now we've got to go play somebody and see how we do in games."