Quickly establishing itself in a new conference and making the College Football Playoff has given SMU a ton of momentum this offseason.
Recruits have indeed taken notice, and on Thursday, the Mustangs landed one of the top offensive linemen in their own backyard.
Drew Evers, a four-star Class of 2026 prospect from Dallas-Ft. Worth “Metroplex” area school Flower Mound, committed to SMU over some big-time schools like Ohio State, Texas A&M and Penn State. In all, Evers chose the Mustangs over offers from 37 other schools.
BREAKING: Four-Star OL Drew Evers has Committed to SMU, he tells me for @on3recruits
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 26, 2025
The 6’4 302 OL from Flower Mound, TX chose the Mustangs over Ohio State, Texas A&M, Penn State, & LSU
“214…I’m staying home. Let’s work #PonyUp”https://t.co/sTRY28LBbb pic.twitter.com/H44IUEsscK
It might have perhaps come as a shock to several recruiting insiders. Ohio State seemed to be a front-runner for Evers’ services, while both of his parents attended Texas A&M.
But SMU used the pull of staying closer to home, as well as its newfound status as one of the rising programs in college football, to land Evers. In their first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Mustangs reached the ACC title game and qualified for the College Football Playoff.
“It was like catching up with old friends,” Evers said in an interview with On3.
Evers (6-foot-4, 302 pounds) has the ability to play both tackle and guard. He is ranked as the No. 14 inside lineman in the Class of ’26 by 247Sports, which also has Evers listed as the No. 27 overall prospect in Texas.
Before thinking about what he can do for SMU, Evers wants to get Flower Mound into the postseason for his senior season. The Jaguars finished 5-5 a season ago.
But SMU fans nevertheless will be salivating at the prospect of being able to have a player in its immediate area fend off a slew of elite programs and help the Mustangs continue their rise to be an elite program themselves.
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