The Reclamation Initiative | The Coaching Career of Nico Augustine

[Captain Canada]

Don't be a bitch with the schedule now. Defending champ better take on the best.

We ain't James Madison, now. We're gonna prove just how great we are

[redsox907]

Don't be a bitch with the schedule now. Defending champ better take on the best.

We ain't James Madison, now. We're gonna prove just how great we are

[Captain Canada]

2029 SMU Mustangs Statistics & Accolades

New Records
ACC
Career
Sacks » Thomas McCariens (44 sacks)

ACC
Single Season
Passing Touchdowns » Alonzo Cheeseman (54 touchdowns)

SMU
Career
Passing Yards » Alonzo Cheeseman (10,196 passing yards)
Passing Touchdowns » Alonzo Cheeseman (99 touchdowns)
Sacks » Thomas McCariens (44 sacks)

Single Season
Passing Yards » Alonzo Cheeseman (5,144 passing yards)
Passing Touchdowns » Alonzo Cheeseman (54 touchdowns)

---

All-Americans
First Team
QB Alonzo Cheeseman (Rs So)
TE Dwayne Kasay (Rs Jr)
EDGE Josh Mingo (Rs Sr)
DT Trent Landry (So)
WILL Thomas McCariens (Sr)
CB Manu Hook (Rs Sr)
FS Esteban Brewer (Rs Jr)

Second Team
MIKE Kevin Lockridge (Sr)
FS Armani Medlock (Rs Sr)
SS Larry Tu’ikolovatu (So)

Freshman
HB Brian Volson
EDGE Jameson Beckner

All-ACC
First Team
QB Alonzo Cheeseman (Rs So)
HB Brian Volson (Fr)
TE Dwayne Kasay (Rs Jr)
C Miguel Patino (Rs Jr)
EDGE Josh Mingo (Rs Sr)
DT Trent Landry (So)
MIKE Kevin Lockridge (Sr)
WILL Thomas McCariens (Sr)
CB Manu Hook (Rs Sr)
CB Alonzo Hix (Rs Jr)
FS Esteban Brewer (Rs Jr)
SS Larry Tu’ikolovatu (So)

Second Team
C Leati Higgins (Rs Jr)
FS Armani Medlock (Rs Sr)

Freshman Team
HB Brian Volson
TE Lionel Davenport
EDGE Jameson Beckner

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Team Statistics

Passing
QB Alonzo Cheeseman (Rs So) -- 415-554 (74%), 5,144 passing yards, 54 touchdowns, 9 interceptions, 181.8 RTG, sacked 31 times
QB Fredrick Cooper (Rs So) -- 11-16 (68%), 122 passing yards, touchdown, interception, 140.9 RTG, sacked once

Rushing
HB Brian Volson (Fr) -- 188 carries, 939 rushing yards, 5.0 AVG, 14 touchdowns, 14 broken tackles
QB Alonzo Cheeseman (Rs So) -- 140 carries, 862 rushing yards, 6.2 AVG, 11 touchdowns, broken tackle
HB Justice Spielman (So) -- 156 carries, 690 rushing yards, 4.4 AVG, 3 touchdowns, 8 broken tackles
HB Cal McCalebb (Rs So) -- 132 carries, 635 rushing yards, 4.8 AVG, 7 touchdowns, 3 broken tackles
HB Titus Dayes (Sr) -- 17 carries, 80 rushing yards, 4.7 AVG, touchdown, 2 broken tackles
HB John Byard (FR) -- 19 carries, 64 rushing yards, 3.4 AVG, touchdown, broken tackle

Receiving
WR Marquis Avant (Rs Jr) -- 94 catches, 1,259 receiving yards, 13.4 AVG, 10 touchdowns, 12 drops
TE Dwayne Kasay (Rs Jr) -- 82 catches, 1,183 receiving yards, 14.4 AVG, 8 touchdowns, 11 drops
WR Tomas Smoker (Rs Jr) -- 40 catches, 909 receiving yards, 22.7 AVG, 11 touchdowns, 8 drops
WR Santiago Silvestro (Rs So) -- 51 catches, 546 receiving yards, 10.7 AVG, 9 touchdowns, 6 drops
WR Eric DeLuca (So) -- 37 catches, 480 receiving yards, 13.0 AVG, 4 touchdowns, 2 drops
HB Brian Volson (Fr) -- 30 catches, 278 receiving yards, 9.3 AVG, touchdown
HB Cal McCalebb (Rs So) -- 33 catches, 215 receiving yards, 6.5 AVG, 2 touchdowns, 3 drops
TE Miles Uter (Rs Sr) -- 21 catches, 195 receiving yards, 9.3 AVG, 5 touchdowns, drop
TE Lionel Davenport (Fr) -- 13 catches, 100 receiving yards, 7.7 AVG, 2 touchdowns, drop
HB Justice Spielman (So) -- 17 catches, 73 receiving yards, 4.3 AVG, touchdown, drop
WR Bobby Goodspeed (Fr) -- 3 catches, 10 receiving yards, 3.3 AVG, drop

Blocking
LG Drew Hill (Rs Sr) -- 101 snaps, 0 sacks allowed, 7 games played
C Kai Pettis (Jr) -- 101 snaps, 0 sacks allowed, 16 games played
RT Mohammed Iwuoma (Rs Jr) -- 27 snaps, 1 sack allowed, 1 game played
RT Teryan Brisby (Rs Fr) -- 916 snaps, 1 sack allowed, 16 games played
RG J.P. Terrell (Rs So) -- 197 snaps, 1 sack allowed, 16 games played
C Leati Higgins (Rs Jr) -- 677 snaps, 2 sacks allowed, 12 games played
LT Ethan Whitehead (Fr) -- 535 snaps, 2 sacks allowed, 16 games played
RG Mitch Slater (Rs Jr) -- 1100 snaps, 3 sacks allowed, 16 games played
C Miguel Patino (Rs Jr) -- 703 snaps, 3 sacks allowed, 12 games played
RT Walter Loudermilk (Rs So) -- 843 snaps, 5 sacks allowed, 13 games played
LG Austin Jasmine (Jr) -- 1039 snaps, 5 sacks allowed, 16 games played

Defense
MIKE Keke Madden (Jr) -- 126 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 5 pass breakups
MIKE Kevin Lockrdge (Sr) -- 123 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 3 interceptions, 12 pass breakups, forced fumble
FS Esteban Brewer (Rs Jr) -- 121 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 2 interceptions, 12 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles, fumble recovery
SS Larry Tu'ikolovatu (So) -- 94 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, sack, 3 interceptions, 7 pass breakups, forced fumble
FS Armani Medlock (Rs Sr) -- 89 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 4 interceptions, 6 pass breakups, fumble recovery, 2 touchdowns
CB Alonzo Hix (Rs Jr) -- 89 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions, 10 pass breakups
CB Manu Hook (Rs Sr) -- 81 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 6 interceptions, 11 pass breakups, forced fumble, fumble recovery
WILL Thomas McCariens (Sr) -- 74 tackles, 41 tackles for loss, 19.5 sacks, 2 pass breakups, 3 fumble recoveries
DT Trent Landry (So) -- 48 tackles, 36 tackles for loss, 22 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, fumble recovery
CB Isaiah Gumbs (Rs So) -- 42 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 2 interceptions, pass breakup, touchdown
EDGE Josh Mingo (Rs Sr) -- 40 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 9 sacks, pass breakup, fumble recovery, safety
SS Jamerson Pratt (Jr) -- 38 tackles
WILL Gerald Stingley (Rs Sr) -- 31 tackles
SAM Ben Stutz (Jr) -- 28 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, 2 pass breakups, forced fumble
SAM Tyree Marks (Rs Jr) -- 23 tackles, tackle for loss
EDGE Junior Rudd (Rs Sr) -- 19 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, pass breakup
CB Denzel Hennessy (Rs Fr) -- 11 tackles, pass breakup
DT Adrian Fogg (So) -- 9 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 sacks
EDGE Ramon Arrollo (Sr) -- 8 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, pass breakup
FS Nolan Simms (Rs Jr) -- 6 tackles
MIKE Mike Coker (So) -- 6 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, forced fumble
DT J.J. Kramer (Rs So) -- 5 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, forced fumble
DT Dominick Benshaw (Jr) -- 5 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks
EDGE Jameson Beckner (Fr) -- 3 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 sacks

Kicking
K Miguel Benitez (Rs Jr) -- 20/30, 47 FG long, 97% XP

Punting
P Dakota Odrick (Rs Jr) -- 30 punts, 33.8 Net Avg, 5 inside the 20, 3 touchbacks, 43 long

Returning
WR John Byard (Fr) -- 21 KR, 345 yards, 16.4 AVG
WR Bobby Goodspeed (Fr) -- 21 KR, 368 yards, 17.5 AVG, 46 PR, 321 yards, 7.0 AVG
WR Mustafa Agude (Fr) -- 9 KR, 172 yards, 19.1 AVG

Team Stats
Scoring Offense: 45.9 PPG
Passing Yards Per Game: 329.1
Rushing Yards Per Game: 208.1
Third Down Conversion: 55%
Fourth Down Conversion: 82%
Red Zone Efficiency: 55%
Scoring Defense: 18.0
Yards Per Game Against: 344.4
Pass Yards Per Game Against: 314.5
Rush Yards Per Game Against: 29.9

[redsox907]

hell of a year for senior queso

any shot he declares?

[Captain Canada]

hell of a year for senior queso

any shot he declares?

Next year? I would be shocked if he doesn't declare. We're preparing as though our Cheeseman window ends next season.

[redsox907]

I thought he was a redshirt sophomore?

[The JZA]

Top shit on the Natty fam!


New deal Time to re-up and ride out

[Captain Canada]

I thought he was a redshirt sophomore?

You right, I must have been fried. Nah, I'd be shocked if he declared.

Top shit on the Natty fam!


New deal Time to re-up and ride out

[ShireNiner]

If Cheese is back, the repeat is on.

[Captain Canada]

Mustangs welcome former Arkansas State head coach Griffin McCauley as defensive coordinator
By Veronica Downs | SMU Daily

After defensive coordinator Kerry Abraham was confirmed to be taking over as the new head coach of the Michigan State Spartans in the Big 10, the team silently went searching for the replacement of one of the top coordinators in the nation.

For Coach Nico Augustine, the first call went to an old friend who was looking for greener pastures.

The SMU Mustangs have announced that Arkansas State head coach Griffin McCauley will be joining the team as the defensive coordinator going forward. McCauley and Augustine served together for two seasons - Augustine’s first season as the offensive coordinator when McCauley was in his second season with A-State and the second under McCauley during his first season as head coach of the Red Wolves.

McCauley took over for former head coach Butch Jones after the 2025 season after being hired by the Minnesota Vikings as their offensive coordinator. McCauley, in tandem with Augustine still serving as the team’s offensive coordinator, led the Red Wolves to back-to-back Sun Belt conference championships, while also having quarterback Jaylen Raynor win the 2026 Heisman Trophy after a dominant season.

Since Augustine took over at SMU before the beginning of the 2027 season, the Red Wolves have fallen on hard times, seeing teams like Georgia Southern and James Madison take the helm of the Sun Belt mantle. After a tough season that - despite Arkansas State finishing 8-5 - finished 2nd in the West Division behind Louisiana, where they took on (and lost) against the Georgia Southern Eagles.

McCauley will have big shoes to fill, as Abraham has put some of the best defensive units in football together for the last couple of seasons. The team will be losing key pieces to graduation, such as MIKE linebacker Kevin Lockridge, WILL linebacker Thomas McCariens, and free safety Armani Medlock, not to mention the eligibility of underclassmen for the NFL who have yet to announce, such as Jim Thorpe Trophy winner Esteban Brewer.

The team has remained silent on who will be taking over as offensive coordinator with Tony Sanchez taking on the job at San Jose State. The team may be hiring internally, as wide receivers coach Kwame Aguyei has been groomed to take over the position. He has been with Augustine since he joined A-State, coming over from Canada’s Western University when he made the jump to the NCAA.