Rivals100 QB Preston Stone is staying home at SMU

SAN ANTONIO -- Another one of Texas' elite quarterbacks is off the board.

Preston Stone, a Rivals100 quarterback from Parish Episcopal in Dallas, committed to SMU. Stone is the No. 3-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the country and is No. 62 overall in the country.

If and when Stone signs with the Mustangs, the four-star prospect will be the highest-rated recruit in Rivals history to enroll at SMU.

"My brother is gonna play at SMU next year so I tagged along with him for the spring game and that was fun. It was cool watching them (in the spring game)," Stone said in a previous interview with Rivals. Coach (Sonny) Dykes is a great coach. He's turning the program around these past few years and I'm excited to see how my brother fits in next year."

"I've known Coach Dykes ever since my brother committed there," Stone added at a later date. "It's been great. He's been a big supporter of me and my family ever since my brother committed there."

Stone has one of the most impressive offer sheets for any quarterback in the country and will spend the next year in a close competition to be the top dual-threat.

Early on, Stone was closely connected with Texas as an early top target for Coach Tom Herman and his staff. He also gave a strong look to LSU, USC, Virginia and SMU.

LSU poked around, but not much materialized on that front. The same goes for USC and Texas native Graham Harrell. Stone made visits to both Virginia and SMU, the two schools that his older brothers attend.

The Longhorns continued to garner more and more momentum with the talented Texas quarterback during the spring and summer leading into Stone's junior season, but that quickly came to a halt when fellow Rivals100 passer Jalen Milroe pledged to the Longhorns in July.

SMU seized the opportunity instantly and quietly lured the four-star quarterback on campus for several games this past season. Additionally, when Sept. 1 rolled out, Dykes made sure to be the first head football coach to directly reach out to Stone.

With Stone announcing his commitment to the Mustangs at Saturday's All-American Bowl, sources close to the quarterback insisted that SMU was the clear-cut favorite for several months.

Stone is as impressive a playmaker at the quarterback as there is in the country. He's improvisational with natural arm strength and mobility.

Stone doesn't have a tremendous build, but he has a powerful arm and the ability to sling it downfield with ease. He has a quick delivery, can flick it 50 yards downfield with ease and is dangerously accurate when he has time in the pocket to navigate the field. Stone can put great zip on his throws and throws well in between the numbers and outside the hashes. He's fantastic at anticipating where his receivers will be and somehow makes a ton of unbalanced, sidearm throws with ease.

In a lot of ways, the new SMU commitment possesses the same skill-set as Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Like Rodgers, Stone is also a threat to take off with his legs. He's elusive in the open field and has 4.6 speed. Stone also uses his mobility to extend plays. He gets out of the pocket and can toss it downfield or run, and he certainly has the ability to make throws on the room with exceptional accuracy. Pair that ability to improvise with smart decision-making, excellent ball placement and multiple ways to stymie a defense.