The past three seasons, Ben Hicks has been SMU’s starting quarterback. Thanks to a surprising development, he won’t get the opportunity to make it a fourth next season.
In an interview with 247Sports.com, Hicks confirmed that he has informed head coach Sonny Dykes and offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee of his decision to transfer from the Mustangs. The redshirt junior has one season of eligibility remaining, which he can use at another FBS program next year as a graduate transfer.
As for why he pulled the trigger on a decision to transfer?
“Looking for a new opportunity, new growth,” Hicks told the website. “Just a chance to really start fresh in my last year and move forward with the rest of my life, whether that be football or whether that be finding out where I’m at.
“The decision was obviously very difficult because I’ve been extremely fortunate to play a lot of football here and meet great friends. I’ve always had a great support staff so the decision was very difficult. You got to make some tough decisions sometimes and this was one I felt like I needed to make.”
Hicks will leave the Mustangs as its leader in a significant number of major statistical categories, including passing yards (9,081) and passing touchdowns (71). Conversely, he also threw 34 interceptions and completed just over 56 percent of his passes.
With Hicks’ departure, the Mustangs are now left with four scholarship quarterbacks, all either true or redshirt freshman, on the roster -- William Brown, Derek Green, Jacob Oehrlein and Austin Upshaw. Brown, who served as Hicks’ primary backup, completed 53-of-85 passes for 625 yards, seven touchdowns and an interception. Upshaw attempted a pair of passes this past season.