SMU lands 4-star EDGE David Dotson over SEC's Texas, Texas A&M, plus DB Eli King

SMU went into two SEC programs' home state and won a recruiting fight. Four-star edge rusher David Dotson committed to the Mustangs over Texas and Texas A&M, and Alabama defensive back Eli King also committed. On3's Billy Embody covered both pledges in a podcast for On3's On The Pony Express, the outlet's SMU site.

The Dotson news is what matters most for readers of this site. On3 lists him as a Texas edge rusher in the 2028 class, so he is still a long way from signing day. Even so, SMU got his commitment ahead of the Longhorns and Aggies, two SEC programs with a long history of keeping top in-state players at home. On3's headlines named those two schools as the finalists Dotson turned down.

Dotson's reason, according to a Rivals story by Sam Spiegelman that On3 also ran, came down to the program's direction. "I believe in what Coach Lashlee is building," Dotson said. Rhett Lashlee has made SMU a more attractive destination in recent seasons, and getting a blue-chip pass rusher to choose the Mustangs over two SEC schools is the kind of result that supports that pitch.

On3 identified King only as an Alabama defensive back, with no further detail in the summary. He gives SMU's secondary another prospect and continues a run of commitments that Embody wrote about separately in a piece on growing recruiting momentum around the program.

Pledges made this far from signing day often get tested, and an edge rusher with Dotson's ranking will probably keep getting calls from SEC staffs. Texas and Texas A&M will have plenty of chances to try again before he can sign. For now, SMU holds his commitment, and he gives the Mustangs a key piece to recruit other prospects around.

The moves also say something about recruiting in the region. SEC programs can no longer count on simply outbidding a Dallas private school for top Texas talent. SMU now sells a power-conference schedule, a strong local base and a clear message from its head coach, and Dotson has said that message is what convinced him.

Full breakdowns of both commitments, including how Dotson and King fit into SMU's plans, are in Embody's podcast and On3's related coverage.