Despite increased interest, Padron, Henderson sticking with Mustangs

MESQUITE -- Any doubts that Kyle Padron is a legitimate Division I recruit went out the window last Friday night. Following a shaky start, Padron took command of the Southlake Carroll offense and led the Dragons to 28 unanswered points and a 35-10 victory over Mesquite that looked easier than it should've been. "We always talk about weathering the storm and in the second half, we played like we know we can," Padron said.

Roughly 24 hours later and 20 miles away, the same couldn't be said for SMU. TCU stormed into Gerald J. Ford Stadium and whipped the Mustangs back and forth before leaving with a 48-7 victory.

Freshman quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 20 of 36 passes for 218 yards in just his fourth college start. But he also led SMU on just one scoring drive and threw a pair of costly interceptions. And that's where Padron comes in.

The Southlake junior, who committed to SMU this summer, may be a couple seasons from stepping foot on the University Park campus, but his arrival will be big news for the Mustangs. Padron came into the season trying to replace three-year starter Riley Dodge, now at North Texas, and drew puzzled looks from when he received an offer from SMU before making his first varsity start.

"I went on an unofficial visit there and had a chance to sit down and talk with coach [Dan] Morrison and coach [June] Jones for 20 to 30 minutes," said Padron of how he got involved with SMU early in the recruiting process. "They're great coaches and they're going to turn things around. I wanted to be a part of that." Coaches can't comment on incoming recruits, much less players that are two years away from playing for them, but Jones and Co. have to be pleased with the progress they're seeing in Padron.

 The 6-foot-4, 215-pound quarterback looked sharp and confident in and out of the pocket against a Mesquite secondary loaded with college-caliber talent, including Oklahoma commit Marcus Trice. Yet the Skeeters couldn't contain Padron as he completed 30 of 44 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns and rushed 13 times for 100 yards and a touchdown. The performance was enough that Padron may start getting more interest from big-time programs as the season moves along. Yet the Carroll quarterback said he is set on playing for June Jones and SMU. "It's close to home and I want to stay in Texas, so it's the best place for me," said Padron.

Double no trouble for Henderson
Abilene Cooper defensive end Brandon Henderson committed to SMU over the summer and has seen his stock rise on the field since the start of the season. But the extra attention also means extra blockers, so Cooper has employed Henderson at linebacker this season.

The 6-foot-3, 240-pound senior took on double and triple teams at times in Cooper's 28-14 loss to Garland last week, yet it freed up his teammates to make more plays.

Henderson is coming off a junior season that saw him register 50 tackles and 15 sacks, but the extra recruiting attention hasn't deterred him from the Mustangs."Coach Jones is going to do great things at SMU ... so I plan on sticking with the Mustangs," Henderson said.

Date of Article: Tue Sep 23, 2008 4:37 pm