How to Watch SMU Mustangs at 2026 ACC Football Kickoff

SMU takes the stage in Charlotte on Friday, and Mustang fans will want to tune in. Rhett Lashlee and three players close out the 2026 ACC Football Kickoff. Here is everything you need to know.

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SMU opens the final day of ACC Football Kickoff on Friday at 9 a.m. CT. The program's main press conference runs until 9:30 a.m. and will air live on ACC Network. An additional 45-minute interview session with coaches and players follows the main press conference.

SMU is sending four representatives to Charlotte:

• Rhett Lashlee, head coach

• Brandon Booker Jr., linebacker

• Kevin Jennings, redshirt senior, quarterback

• PJ Williams, redshirt senior, offensive lineman

The group reflects where SMU stands entering the 2026 season.

Jennings returns as one of the ACC's top quarterbacks after throwing for 3,641 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2025. He helped lead the Mustangs to a 9-4 record and a Holiday Bowl victory over Arizona after SMU narrowly missed a second straight ACC Championship Game appearance.

Williams anchors an offensive line that helped SMU average nearly 417 total yards per game last season. He earned second-team All ACC honors from both the conference and The Associated Press in 2025 and enters the season on multiple preseason All America watch lists.

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Booker is one of the leaders of SMU's defense after recording 61 tackles in 2025. He also earned preseason All ACC recognition from Phil Steele and is expected to play a key role as the Mustangs replace production along the defensive front.

The focus in Charlotte will be on SMU's place in the ACC. Two years after joining the conference, the Mustangs enter the season with expectations of competing for the league title. With Jennings returning and Lashlee leading the program, SMU opens 2026 as one of the ACC's top contenders.