Nine Mustangs Earn Preseason Honors From Phil Steele
Jun 11 | Football
DALLAS (SMU/Phil Steele) – SMU offensive lineman PJ Williams highlighted nine Mustangs that earned preseason honors from the prestigious Phile Steele publication on Wednesday.
Overall, nine SMU players were named to one of the four preseason All-ACC teams, with Williams also garnering second-team All-America honors from the magazine.
Williams has been widely considered one of the premier offensive linemen in the country for the upcoming 2026 season.
The Dickinson, Texas native is coming off his best year yet, being named All-ACC Second Team by both the league and the Associated Press (AP). He played an integral role in SMU, posting 416.9 total offensive yards per game, ranking fifth in the ACC.
Joining Williams on the first team is fellow lineman, Joshua Bates, along with long snapper Morgan Tribbett.
The second team consisted of Kevin Jennings and incoming kicker Nick Reed. Jennings delivered his best season yet in 2025, finishing with career highs in passing yards (3,641), passing touchdowns (26), completions (300) and completion percentage (66.0).
Wide receiver Yamir Knight and newcomer Kendrick Raphael highlighted the Mustangs selected to the third team. Knight is coming off a breakout campaign last year, finishing with 637 yards receiving and five touchdowns while being named the offensive MVP of the Holiday Bowl. Raphael led Cal last year in rushing with nearly 1,000 yards and looks to make an immediate impact in the running game for SMU.
On the fourth team are junior Brandon Booker and Jarvis Lee. Booker looks to build of an impressive 61 tackles in major playing time in 2025, while Lee is a newcomer from South Florida.
Preseason Second Team All-America
PJ Williams, OL
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Preseason First Team All-ACC
PJ Williams, OL
Joshua Bates, OL
Morgan Tribbett, LS
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Preseason Second Team All-ACC
Kevin Jennings, QB
Nick Reed, KÂ
Preseason Third Team All-ACC
Kendrick Raphael, RB
Yamir Knight, WR
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Preseason Fourth Team All-ACC
Brandon Booker, LB
Jarvis Lee, S
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Overall, nine SMU players were named to one of the four preseason All-ACC teams, with Williams also garnering second-team All-America honors from the magazine.
Williams has been widely considered one of the premier offensive linemen in the country for the upcoming 2026 season.
The Dickinson, Texas native is coming off his best year yet, being named All-ACC Second Team by both the league and the Associated Press (AP). He played an integral role in SMU, posting 416.9 total offensive yards per game, ranking fifth in the ACC.
Joining Williams on the first team is fellow lineman, Joshua Bates, along with long snapper Morgan Tribbett.
The second team consisted of Kevin Jennings and incoming kicker Nick Reed. Jennings delivered his best season yet in 2025, finishing with career highs in passing yards (3,641), passing touchdowns (26), completions (300) and completion percentage (66.0).
Wide receiver Yamir Knight and newcomer Kendrick Raphael highlighted the Mustangs selected to the third team. Knight is coming off a breakout campaign last year, finishing with 637 yards receiving and five touchdowns while being named the offensive MVP of the Holiday Bowl. Raphael led Cal last year in rushing with nearly 1,000 yards and looks to make an immediate impact in the running game for SMU.
On the fourth team are junior Brandon Booker and Jarvis Lee. Booker looks to build of an impressive 61 tackles in major playing time in 2025, while Lee is a newcomer from South Florida.
Preseason Second Team All-America
PJ Williams, OL
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Preseason First Team All-ACC
PJ Williams, OL
Joshua Bates, OL
Morgan Tribbett, LS
Â
Preseason Second Team All-ACC
Kevin Jennings, QB
Nick Reed, KÂ
Preseason Third Team All-ACC
Kendrick Raphael, RB
Yamir Knight, WR
Â
Preseason Fourth Team All-ACC
Brandon Booker, LB
Jarvis Lee, S
Â
Players Mentioned
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