DALLAS (SMU) – SMU head football coach Rhett Lashlee and senior quarterback Kevin Jennings announced the creation of the Kevin Jennings Recovery Center during a media press conference on Wednesday, a new recovery space designed to provide Mustang student-athletes with premier resources to enhance performance, accelerate recovery and support overall well-being.

Jennings becomes the first current SMU student-athlete to have an athletics facility named in his honor, recognizing both his impact on the university and his vision for future generations of Mustangs.

Inspired by Jennings' vision for future Mustangs, the Kevin Jennings Recovery Center was made possible through the generous support of SMU alumni Ann and Malcolm Holland, '82. The center reflects Jennings' commitment to ensuring future generations of Mustang student-athletes have access to the same championship-level recovery resources found across the nation's elite athletic programs.

The center will feature two dedicated recovery spaces equipped with state-of-the-art recovery equipment, providing student-athletes with a space to recover physically and mentally throughout the demands of a collegiate season. 
"SMU has given me so much over the last four years, and I wanted to help create something that will benefit the guys who come after me," said Jennings. "I'm grateful to the Holland family for helping bring this vision to life. My hope is that every student-athlete who walks through these doors has the resources they need to be at their best every single day."

"Kevin has been a humble and confident leader since he stepped foot on SMU's campus, and his commitment to SMU and Dallas has never wavered," Lashlee said. "As his national exposure began to rise, he never changed. As he began to lead SMU back into the Top 10 of CFP and the playoffs and championships, he never changed. He told all the schools who called and tried to get him to leave, thanks but not thanks, and chose to stay at SMU and cement his legacy as one of the greatest to ever play here at one of the most pivotal times in our history.

"He deserves this unprecedented recognition to be the first current college player to have a space named after him before he is done playing. A huge thank you to Malcolm and Ann Holland for their generous support of our program and bringing the Kevin Jennings Recovery Center to life."

A two-year team captain, Jennings enters his senior season as one of the nation's premier quarterbacks after leading SMU to the ACC Championship Game and the College Football Playoff during the program's first season in the ACC. Last season, he established career highs with 3,641 passing yards, 26 touchdown passes and 300 completions while earning numerous preseason honors entering the 2026 campaign, including second-team All-ACC recognition from several national publications.

A Dallas native and South Oak Cliff graduate, Jennings has become one of the defining faces of SMU Football's resurgence. He was a finalist for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award following his breakout 2024 season and enters the 2026 season as a candidate for several national awards.

The Mustangs head to Charlotte on Friday for ACC Kickoff. SMU's press conference will begin at 9 a.m. CT.