Overview
- Jennings severely jammed a finger on his throwing hand after he caught it in a locker-room door on Friday and will be limited in practice for about one to two weeks.
- Coach Rhett Lashlee said medical reports show no long-term damage and that Jennings should be ready with plenty of prep time before the season opener at Florida State.
- With Jennings held back in fall camp, redshirt freshman Ty Hawkins has been taking first-team reps to keep the offense on schedule and to gain live work.
- The setback comes after SMU publicly promoted Jennings in a summer Heisman campaign and follows his 3,641-yard, 26-touchdown 2025 season, underscoring why the program is managing his recovery conservatively.
- Staff will monitor progress closely over the next fortnight and the main things to watch are Jennings’ practice participation and whether Hawkins’ reps change the depth plan before Game 1.