Michigan vs. Oklahoma may have headlined Week 2 of college football, but when Baylor was led by QB Sawyer Robertson and SMU by Kevin Jenning, they started putting in a QB masterclass, and the game quickly turned into one of the most exciting thrillers. It was a strong showing of “what you can do, I can do twice as good,” as it went into two overtimes before Baylor edging out SMU 48-45. But sitting in the stands was also one of SMU’s future stars under center, and he went home bolstering the chances of SMU landing the guy.

A 2028 QB recruit, Jaxon Schad’s recruiting journey isn’t quite lengthy for now, but the Pflugerville, Texas QB’s services are already being sought by 2 programs and three G-5 teams. That speaks a lot about the QB’s talent, widely dubbed to have “elite potential” as the 5’11” and 165 lbs QB shows the same on his tape. So far, having received offers from Texas Tech and SMU, among the power programs, SMU seems to have an edge now after hosting the QB for the Baylor thriller at Gerald J. Ford Stadium.

“I thought it was a really good game! I think Kevin Jennings played great and did a lot with his legs. I liked how SMU distributes the ball in and took advantage of matchups,” said Schad about the game. Kevin Jennings notably had an excellent game for some time, completing all 10 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns. His performance did drop later in the game, as the QB finished with 295 passing yards, completing 16 of the 22 passes with an interception. Despite that, for Jaxon Schad, the atmosphere at the stadium was the major factor that impressed him.

“The atmosphere was loud and energetic! The crowd and student section were all awesome. Looking forward to coming back soon. Coach King and Sam are fun to be around,” declared the Schad. Despite the 2028 projection, Schad has already started as a freshman at his high school, completing 71.4% of the passes and finishing his freshman year with 2,689 yards and 32 touchdowns. That’s already impressive for a freshman, and SMU would thus want an early commitment from the guy to discourage other ‘power’ teams.

As for Schad’s dual-threat skills, his tape shows him passing a 33-yard post-scramble pass against Angleton High School, along with a 57-yard touchdown screamer against Lockhart High School. The 215 rushing yards in his freshman year also highlight a high ceiling for his development, as the QB would surely come out with a solid frame, having 3 full years on his hands. So far, Schad has 5 total offers, including Houston, UTSA, and North Texas.

However, SMU’s Baylor game might just give Schad the required motivation, along with his November 16th unofficial visit to SMU. Moreover, the Baylor game also saw many other SMU recruits being impacted.

SMU Mustangs are upping their ante in the recruiting game, emerging as a new ACC challenger

Apart from Jaxon Schad, SMU also hosted several other recruits against Baylor. These included 4-star SMU WR commit Alijour Miles, 3-star SMU OL commit Evan Goodwin, among several other 2026 commits. Apart from that, SMU also hosted prospects like 20274’s OL/DL prospect Sidney Rouleau and a talented 2028 4-star wide receiver Braylyn Brown, among several others. Brown’s commitment chase is especially notable for SMU, considering he is expectedly to become a 5-star talent in the next two years.

“I enjoyed the game from beginning to end, and the atmosphere was electric. The student section was hyped all game, and the hospitality was amazing!!” said Brown about the game, giving hope for SMU to seal his commitment. While for Sidney Rouleau, SMU looked like a team for the future. “Love the way they compete out there. They look good on offense and loved the atmosphere out there too!”

SMU, ever since its switch to ACC in 2023, has been doing wonders in recruiting, with their 2025 class ranked 31st nationally and the 2026 class currently ranked 22nd. The 2026 class notably has top players like Christian Rhodes (RB) and Drew Evers (IOL) securing the team’s future. So it seems the next target for the team might just be a top 20 finish with at least a 5-star talent, right? It’s not a big ask considering what SMU has been doing on the field in recent years!!