Preston Stone did not waste any time after SMU’s historic 2024 season came to an end. Immediately following the Mustangs’ lopsided loss to Penn State in the College Football Playoff, the redshirt junior confirmed that he would sign with Northwestern from the transfer portal to On3 Sports.
Stone will have one year of eligibility remaining in his collegiate career. He entered the transfer portal after SMU’s ACC title game loss to Clemson but remained with the team and suited up for their ensuing College Football Playoff game against Penn State.
Stone entered 2024 as SMU’s incumbent starting quarterback but lost the job to redshirt sophomore Kevin Jennings after three games. Head coach Rhett Lashlee played both signal-callers for the first three games of the season but committed to Jennings following the team’s 18-15 loss to BYU in Week 2.
In his career-best 2023 season, Stone threw for 3,197 yards, 28 touchdowns and six interceptions through 12 starts. A late-season injury prevented him from starting in the American Athletic Championship Game, thus giving Jennings his first opportunity. The dual-threat quarterback would shine in Stone’s absence, which included the proceeding 2023 Fenway Bowl, leading to the team’s offseason quarterback battle.
However, despite his season-long success, Jennings struggled immensely against Penn State, causing some to wonder if Lashlee would dust off Stone in the CFP. Jennings threw for just 195 yards on 36 attempts, tossing one touchdown and three interceptions. Yet, no quarterback changes were made as Stone remained sidelined for the game.
Preston Stone projects to start at Northwestern after inconsistent SMU career
Northwestern will return third-year quarterback Jack Lausch in 2025 but Stone figures to quickly surpass him on the depth chart. Lausch, who took the job from Vanderbilt and Mississippi State transfer Mike Wright, led the Wildcats to a mere 3-7 record in his 10 starts.
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Given his success in 2023, Stone should immediately be the best passer in Northwestern’s 2025 quarterback room. Lausch notched just 1,714 passing yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions in his 10 starts while completing just 53.7 percent of his passes.
Stone’s addition to the Wildcats should revive an otherwise listless offense. Northwestern struggled in its second full year under new head coach David Braun after the infamous firing of Pat Fitzgerald. The team averaged just 17.8 points per game in 2024, the second-worst mark in the Big 10. In that category, they only ranked ahead of Purdue’s 15.8 points per game effort.
On paper, Stone will be Northwestern’s most talented quarterback since Clayton Thorson graduated in 2018. Thorson’s career 10,731 passing yards still stands as the most in program history.
