SMU football has changed a lot since head coach June Jones arrived on the hilltop back in 2008. Since he took over, SMU has been to two straight bowl games, won their conference division and competed in the Conference USA Championship. Remarkably, June has done all of this without a top-talent quarterback to run his patented Run and Shoot offense. Now, even that is about to change.
ESPN has reported that University of Texas quarterback Garrett Gilbert is transferring to SMU. Gilbert will possibly sit out the 2012 season with a medical red-shirt and compete for the starting position in 2013. Gilbert will bring experience and a veteran presence to the Mustangs locker room. He has played on college football's biggest stage - the BCS Championship - and has faced top-tier defenses in the Big 12.
As the quarterback of the Lake Travis High School team, Gilbert led his team to two straight Class 4A Division II State Championships. He, along with USC quarterback Matt Barkley, was rated as a five-star quarterback prospects by Rivals and was heavily recruited by the major football powerhouses. However, growing up close to Austin, Gilbert had always dreamed of playing for the Longhorns and committed they day after he received their offer.
Gilbert was a red-shirt at Texas for most of his freshman year until he was unexpectedly thrust into the starting role in the 2010 BCS Championship against Alabama after starter Colt McCoy went down with an injury in the first quarter. Although the Longhorns would eventually lose the game, Gilbert was praised for his play and almost lifting his team to victory.
Garrett began the 2010 season as the undisputed starter for Texas but struggled to find consistency the entire year. He threw for 2744 yards, 10 touchdowns and 17 interceptions on the season and Texas stumbled to a 5-7 record. In 2011, he beat out Case McCoy (Colt McCoy's younger brother) and David Ash for the starting role but was replaced midway through the second game.
Gilbert underwent season-ending shoulder surgery and was given an unconditional release from his scholarship to find another school. With the move to SMU, the hope is that Jones can help fix some of Gilbert's crucial mistakes. It isn't a far-fetched idea: Jones did produce Colt Brennan, one of the most prolific passers in NCAA history. And if June can fix Gilbert's problems and help him fulfill his potential, SMU is only going to change for the better.
Photo from Getty Images