(The Dallas Examiner) – The will to win and excel on and off the field continues for South Oak Cliff former quarterback Kevin Jennings, who made history by leading the Golden Bears to its first UIL Class 5A Division II State Title on Dec. 18, 2021, by defeating Liberty Hill 23-14 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Six days before that championship game, he committed to SMU Mustangs football, earning a full academic and athletic scholarship to play for the school he watched growing up.

Now in his second year at Southern Methodist University, Jennings helped lead SMU football to its best record since 1982 as the Mustangs finished 11-2 this season after he was named the starting quarterback in the final couple of games of the regular season. Jennings played throughout the season but won the starting role right after the Navy game on Nov. 25 where SMU won 59-14.

The team went on to win the American Athletic Conference championship game by defeating Tulane 26-14. Jennings had over 266 yards passing and a touchdown in what was considered his first career start for SMU and the team earned a berth to play in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl where they lost to Boston College 14-23 in Boston, Massachusetts, Dec. 28.

“It’s kind of crazy but there is a lot of work we put in as a team to reach this goal, so it wasn’t totally impossible to reach winning the AAC championship,” Jennings said.

He is studying sports management at SMU and minoring in psychology.

“Obviously, playing in the NFL is the main goal after college, but also one day, I would also like to run a gym and train kids and get them to the base level of athletics,” he said.

He transferred from West Mesquite to South Oak Cliff in the middle of his sophomore year in high school due to his parent’s job. After he moved to South Oak Cliff, he competed for the starting quarterback position which he earned in his junior year.

“It was a hard move because I had to leave all my old friends,” he said. “But after winning the state title it was just an amazing feeling.”

Jennings said he is glad he chose SMU to further his athletic career.

“SMU is close to home, and I love the coaches and when I came for an official visit, the coaches welcomed me,” he said.

Jennings said he originally had six or seven offers to play football from schools such as Sam Houston, Central Arkansas, Idaho, Missouri State, SMU, Central Oklahoma and Texas A&M Commerce.

When he got to SMU, he knew he had to compete for the starting quarterback position as well.

“I wasn’t really rushing it, I was focused on practicing and getting better and learning from the coaches and the other players,” Jennings stated. “My goal was to step my game up and it all came at a perfect time. Growing up watching SMU, you know, I always wanted to be here. It is really a crazy experience to be honest.”

In an era where athletes can profit off their name in college, called the NIL rule, Jennings said it has not affected him.

“I’m not worried about that, and I am just here to play ball,” he said.

He said he is happy to be around coaches that are excellent.

“They care about the development of their players and my head coach has certainly developed me a lot and not trying to get on me poorly, but letting me do what I do,” he said.

Next season, SMU will be joining the Atlantic Coast Conference on July 1, 2024, where they will compete against schools such as Texas Christian University, Houston Christian University, Florida State, Boston College, Berkeley, Duke, University of Louisville, Stanford, and Vanderbilt.

As a student athlete, Jennings realizes that he often has a difficult schedule, having to get up early in the mornings around 5:30 a.m. to practice, eat breakfast and then get ready for classes.

“It is pretty difficult, but we have to make it work because there are high standards up here,” Jennings said.

Currently he maintains a 3.4 GPA but would like to see that grade point go higher.

At only 19 years old, Jennings has several goals he would like to reach at SMU.

“Obviously, getting to the college football playoffs is a goal of mine and a dream of mine, and I can see myself doing that,” he stated. “It’s going to take a bunch of hard work, discipline and doing the same thing we are doing right now, we can definitely reach that level. Also, I plan on playing all four of my years here and getting a degree at SMU and then go for the NFL.”

Last season, the team finished 7-6 and this season they are 11-2.

“I love the pressure of playing quarterback because I feel like I play better,” Jennings said.

Jennings often visits SOC and speaks to other athletes and students there to motivate them and said he always talks with SOC head coach Jason Todd.

“The goal is to always win but don’t get down on yourself even if you lose,” Jennings said.

“Just hard work and commitment and staying patient is important. Everything isn’t going to come to you in one setting, you have to stay patient.”