Southern Methodist University will officially open the Kevin Jennings Recovery Center this fall within the university's two-year-old $150 million football facility.
At the same time, Jennings will begin his third season as starting quarterback for the Mustangs after winning 20 games total during his first two.
“I do think it is unprecedented,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee told The Athletic in a recent interview.
Senior writer David Ubben of The Athletic reported Wednesday that Jennings is believed to be the first active college football player to have a component of his team’s facility named after him.
“We just thought it would be so cool for him to still be playing here and get to experience some of the legacy he created,” Lashlee said. “And he’s not finished.”
A Dallas native, Jennings has remained loyal to SMU amid offseason transfer offers. “It’s our job to give him all the reasons to feel good about that decision,” Lashlee said.
“Kevin has meant so much to SMU by his commitment and loyalty to stay at SMU; that speaks volumes. Not just now but into the future. So you’re asking, ‘How can we honor that?’ It’s great when guys leave, and five years later they come back, and retire their jersey, put their name up somewhere or do statues. All that is great, and who knows, maybe that will all happen, right?
“But how can we think outside the box and honor him in a way that is beneficial to him?”
This offseason, football operations staffer Josh Nash and strength coach Shawn Griswold noted that the new team facility lacked a room dedicated solely to recovery, Ubben reported. “So I thought, why don’t we just name it the Kevin Jennings Recovery Center inside our facility?” Lashlee said. “That’s a way to honor him while he’s still here.”
Donors Malcolm and Ann Holland, who graduated during SMU's storied Pony Express era, had decided to donate to the school. SMU pitched the Hollands on the idea to honor Jennings.
“He’s the humblest dude, and I thought, ‘You know what, if we could help him and just thank him for what he’s done for our university, this would be a really cool thing to do,’ ” Malcolm Holland said, as reported by The Athletic. “We told them we don’t want our name. I’m sure they’ll put our name underneath something, but this is, ‘Thank you, Kevin, for being a loyal, humble athlete that represents what I think athletes should be.’ That’s why we did it.”
Per Ubben, construction on the center is scheduled to be finished before the season ends, allowing Jennings to benefit from its amenities while still a player at SMU.
“I was just very grateful for it,” Jennings said. “It’s truly amazing.”
