In the previous segment of this series, we examined a portion of SMU's current defensive commitments and now we'll take a look at the rest of the pledges on that side of the ball.
Rodney Hubert, who was the second prospect to commit to the Mustangs in this recruiting class, is ranked as the No. 117 cornerback in the nation. There's been speculation that Hubert's verbal might not be too strong, but he recently affirmed his commitment to SMU in an interview with Scout.com.
At the same time, Hubert is still being pursued by several schools and he said that "I'm also looking at some other schools."
The Brenham senior is part of a stout (to say the least) defense; the 4-0 Cubs have allowed only three points per game this season. The only apparent threat remaining on Brenham's schedule is 4-0 Montgomery, which travels to face the Cubs on October 15th.
While Brenham is dominating its opponents in Class 4A, Brownwood and SMU commit Derek Longoria are doing the same thing in Class 3A.
The top-ranked Lions have destroyed every opponent, scoring 261 points (average of more than 52 ppg) and allowing only 70 points - with the vast majority of that 70 coming against the Brownwood reserves.
Longoria, who plays safety on the high school level, has the size (6-foot-2, 205) for either safety or linebacker on the next level. He's also a starting RB for Brownwood, as well as an accomplished punter.
While Longoria comes across at first as a laid-back, "aw, shucks"-type, just beneath the exterior lies an extremely competitive and aggressive gridiron warrior.
The consummate team player, Longoria likes to discuss his squad's exploits, but he's his own toughest critic. Earlier this week, the future Mustang was hard on himself as he recalled a couple of plays from the previous two weeks. Moreover, he downplays his achievements and big plays - the exact attitude that a football coach loves to see from a player.
Moving from the secondary to the front seven, SMU may have a player to follow in Margus Hunt's huge footsteps.
Australian Blake Muir, a 6-foot-5 defensive end, committed to the Mustangs over the summer and he made the trip from Down Under to watch SMU and TCU last Friday. On film, it's no surprise that Muir dominates the competition in a foreign country. Once the raw talent gets to Dallas, he'll learn to play with a lower pad level and use his tremendous size to its maximum ability.
Robert Seals and Cameron Smith frequently line up with their hand on the ground and each possesses the athletic ability to shine at either defensive end or linebacker. Smith has uncanny speed and quickness for a 230-pound prep football player. DE Jarrett Spencer (6-foot-3, 230) is yet another big, strong prospect who can dominate from the edge.
At 6-foot-2, cornerback Mike Sparling has ideal height to matchup with tall receivers and the senior from California has the speed (4.53) to turn and run with most wideouts.