Why SMU named its recovery center after current QB Kevin Jennings

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Walk through any college campus, and you’ll find a name attached to most buildings. Most are named in the honor of distinguished alumni, generous donors, or legendary athletes and coaches that shaped the school’s athletics.

And then there’s one facility at SMU named after the team’s current starting quarterback — the Kevin Jennings Recovery Center.

Yes, Kevin Jennings still has one season of eligibility remaining, yet his name already adorns the recovery center which is currently being constructed inside the Weber End Zone Complex at SMU.

The recovery center was largely funded by donors Malcolm and Ann Holland. It features a bevy of systems and machines designed to promote muscle relaxation, relieve pain, and reduce stress. These include hydromassage units, RedZone Saunas, infrared light therapies, CryoLounge chairs, PolarWave Dry Cold Plunge, and RelaxSpace Wellness Pods.

“One thing we were kind of lacking was a recovery center for our student-athletes, for our 105 to 110 football players,” SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee said in a press conference held Wednesday, July 15. “We have a really good training room, but how do we help them recover before, after, in the offseason, after games? We wanted to have as good as anywhere in the country, so we started saying he needed a recovery center.”

Why dedicate the facility to a player that hasn’t even closed the chapter on his college career? Lashlee presented two words that make Jennings the perfect representative of SMU athletics.

“When I think about Kevin, I think of commitment and loyalty. Those two words go with Kevin at a high level,” Lashlee said. “I think about his mom Sherry and dad Michael and what an incredible job they’ve done raising him and instilling a lot of the qualities he has as a leader. But Kevin has been loyal and committed to his city Dallas, to South Oak Cliff his high school, to his teammates, and to SMU from day one. I start thinking about a time where players can move quite a bit. The last two cycles for sure, but the last three cycles, there’s been people trying to get Kevin to come play for them and leave. Not one time did I ever feel like Kevin wanted to be anywhere but here. It’s one thing to say that, another thing to put action behind it and do it.”

The idea of naming a building after Jennings floated around Lashlee’s mind last December while SMU prepared for its Holiday Bowl matchup against Arizona. Around that time, the Dallas native quarterback, who has been a common transfer portal target for other programs, committed to remain at his hometown school for the 2026 season.

In addition to the loyalty he has demonstrated, Jennings elevated SMU football into a rising power since arriving on campus in fall 2022. In his first career start in 2023, he guided the Mustangs to an American Conference Championship victory over Tulane, marking the program’s first conference title and season-ending AP Poll ranking since 1984. The following year, SMU changed conferences and Jennings became the full-time starter, leading the team to an 8-0 ACC record and appearances in the ACC Championship Game and College Football Playoff. Then in 2025, the All-ACC quarterback captained SMU to a Holiday Bowl victory over Arizona, signifying the program’s first bowl win since 2012.

“This last December after the season… Kevin’s making it clear, ‘This is my home. This is where I want to be. I love Dallas. I love this city. I want to start here and I want to end here,’” Lashlee recalled. “It’s fairly unique now, right? So when we started talking through what that’s gonna look like, the word ‘legacy’ came up. To me, the word ‘legacy’ is what you pass down or leave for future generations. When I start thinking about Kevin, what a legacy he’s going to leave here. And he’s still writing his legacy. Luckily we’ve got a whole year left with him, and there’s a whole lot to be written. You start thinking about what he’s done here and the commitment and loyalty he’s shown to SMU probably in the most pivotal time in our football program’s history — it’s pretty special.”

Lashlee recognized how unorthodox it is to name a facility after a current player, but he believes Jennings warranted the honor due to the commitment he’s shown while taking the football program to new heights in the 21st century.

“It’s pretty unprecedented to have a facility or a space named after a current player,” Lashlee said. “I don’t know of a time it’s ever happened before, but we’re gonna have the Kevin Jennings Recovery Center here in the Weber Facility. We’re gonna get started on it now while he’s still here, because when you’re thinking about Kevin — in this era, it’s all about what can players get? Kevin’s all about, what can I do for other people? He’s been that way since he showed up, he’s that way on campus, he’s that way in his city, and I think he wanted to do something that he can take advantage of for a few months. But when you start looking at a legacy that’s gonna be left, every player that comes through SMU is gonna see Kevin’s name up there and be reminded of the impact he had but also what his accomplishments allowed us to do to help make their experience better.”

Lashlee projects the recovery center’s construction will be completed in several months. While it may not be ready at the start of fall camp, the head coach anticipates players can utilize certain aspects of the center while the 2026 season is in session.

“I’m just super excited for it,” Jennings said. “It’s honestly a blessing being in this situation that I’m in right now. Just the legacy piece, that’s really my main goal — leave my legacy behind me for other student-athletes, other football players that are coming through SMU to look back at it and say, ‘He left a legacy here.’ I’m fortunate to be able to do that.”

Jennings said he didn’t have a crazy reaction when he first heard the recovery center would be named in his honor but applauded SMU’s staff for going unprecedented lengths to show commitment to the players.

“Our staff means business,” Jennings said. “When they say they’re gonna do something, they’ll do it. They care about their players. This is a crazy situation that’s never been seen before, but SMU did it. Give the credit to our staff.”

Lashlee believes honoring Kevin Jennings sets a great precedent for college football in an era where loyalty is increasingly rare. As players continue to be defined by multiple schools, Jennings’ name will live in posterity on one campus, and one campus only. The Kevin Jennings Recovery Center will serve as a reminder to future SMU student-athletes of what it means to commit to the university in the fullest manner.

“In the current new era of college football right now, it is rare to see someone start and end their career at the same place, particularly for four or five years — five in Kevin’s case — and to be such a high-profile, incredible player,” Lashlee said. “It speaks to Kevin’s commitment and loyalty. It speaks to the support we have at SMU to be incredibly competitive to support our players and give them every reason to stay when they want it. But it shows that there are still people that believe in starting and finishing somewhere and playing the long game and what can come from it.”

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