Nick Saban Praises SMU Quarterback Kevin Jennings for Efficiency and Competitive Character

SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings has been making significant waves in the college football scene, particularly since taking over as the starter this season. His impressive performance has caught the attention of legendary coach Nick Saban, who recently highlighted Jennings’ skills on College GameDay from Athens, Georgia.

Saban praised Jennings for his arm talent and instinctive ability to make big plays. “The first thing I like about him is the guy has got really good arm talent. He’s made all the throws so far that you need to make to be an outstanding quarterback,” Saban said. He also commended Jennings’ ability to scramble and keep his eyes on the field to find open receivers, noting that such instinctive plays are rare among quarterbacks.

Jennings’ statistics are equally impressive. He ranks third nationally in yards per pass attempt (9.69) and fifth in passing yards per completion (14.96). In conference games, he has the highest passer efficiency rating in the ACC at 178.6. Despite a rough outing against Duke, where he had five turnovers, Jennings led SMU to a dominant 48-25 win over Pitt, showcasing his resilience and competitive character.

ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit also praised Jennings and SMU’s head coach Rhett Lashlee for the switch to Jennings this season. Herbstreit noted that when Jennings plays within the structure of the offense and stays confident, he improves significantly every week. He emphasized that SMU is a team to watch with Jennings at the helm.

Saban also highlighted the strength of SMU’s defense, which he believes is a crucial factor in their success. “The thing that I like about SMU is they play really good defense,” Saban said. “They’re one of the top defensive teams in the country in terms of takeaways, rush defense, lots of categories,” he added.