SMU athletes are getting a bigger voice as Mustang Partners and College Sports Co. launch Mustang Studios and flagship show The 214.
SMU is turning up the volume on athlete-driven media, and it’s doing it right in the middle of one of the biggest sports markets in the country.
Mustang Partners and College Sports Co. have launched Mustang Studios, a new content platform built around SMU student-athletes, original programming and a more direct connection between the Hilltop and its fan base.
The move gives SMU another modern branding tool at a time when college athletics is being shaped by NIL, personality, access and storytelling just as much as wins and losses.
This isn’t being positioned as a basic team-content feed. Mustang Studios is designed to showcase SMU athletes as people, creators and voices, not just players in uniforms.
The platform will create digital content for social media, streaming and podcast channels while also opening new lanes for brand partners and community engagement.
For SMU, the timing makes sense. The Mustangs are trying to grow their national profile, lean into the Dallas market and capitalize on the energy around the athletic department.
Mustang Studios gives the school a way to package that momentum through the athletes themselves.
“Mustang Studios is another example of the momentum and innovation happening across SMU Athletics,” SMU Director of Athletics Damon Evans said.
“In today’s landscape, storytelling and brand-building matter more than ever, and this platform gives us an opportunity to showcase the incredible personalities, stories and experiences of our student-athletes while continuing to elevate the SMU brand on a national stage.”
That quote pretty much captures the play. In the current college sports world, fans don’t just want scores and highlights.
They want access. They want faces. They want behind-the-scenes stories. They want to feel like they know the athletes they’re cheering for.
SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings is expected to be one of the featured voices in that push.
“Mustang Studios is about giving SMU student-athletes a platform to show who we are beyond the game,” Jennings said.
“There’s a lot of energy and momentum around SMU right now, and Mustang Studios gives our athletes and teams a chance to connect with fans in a real way that reflects where SMU Athletics is headed.”
The branding has a clear SMU feel, too. The Mustang Studios logo pulls from the school’s familiar campus imagery, including the bronze Mustang trio tied to The Boulevard, SMU’s central gameday scene and one of the most recognizable traditions on the Hilltop.
That matters because this launch isn’t just about content volume. It’s about identity. SMU wants the platform to feel like Dallas, feel like campus and feel like the athletes are driving the conversation.
Adam Breneman, cofounder of College Sports Co., said the athlete-first approach is the point of the entire project.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, at the center of this is the student-athletes,” Breneman said.
“Fans today want a deeper connection to the players and personalities behind the program, and athletes deserve a platform that allows them to tell their stories in an authentic way. Mustang Studios is going to give SMU athletes a real voice while bringing fans closer to the program than ever before.”
The first major piece of programming under the Mustang Studios banner will be The 214, a weekly show hosted by former SMU student-athletes and Mustang personalities Alex Glover and Billy Embody.
The show will cover life at SMU, the Dallas sports scene, Mustang athletics and the culture surrounding the program.
The title is no accident. The 214 is a clear nod to Dallas’ iconic area code, giving the show a local edge while positioning it as a central voice for the SMU community.
Jennings will make recurring appearances, and the show is expected to include other voices from across the Mustang world.
That’s the bigger picture here. SMU isn’t just launching a media arm. It’s building a content engine around its athletes, its city and its brand.
College Sports Co. specializes in athlete-driven media and social platforms that connect athletes, schools and brands through content and distribution strategies.
Pairing that model with Mustang Partners gives SMU a more polished way to push athlete stories into the marketplace.
And in Dallas, that marketplace is massive.
For the Mustangs, Mustang Studios could become a recruiting tool, an NIL tool, a fan-engagement tool and a brand-building tool all at once. It gives athletes more visibility.
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It gives fans more access. It gives partners more creative inventory. And it gives SMU another way to plant its flag in a crowded college sports landscape.
The Hilltop already has momentum. Mustang Studios is the next attempt to turn that momentum into content people actually want to watch, hear and share.
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