SMU Lands Defensive Player on All-American List

Mustangs' Symons wastes no time congratulating dominate rusher

DALLAS – SMU defensive end Elijah Roberts found out Monday morning he has been named First Team All-American by the Action Network.

Roberts is the first SMU player to earn All-America honors at defensive end in the publication's history. The teams were selected by Action Network's Brett McMurphy, Collin Wilson and George Stuckey.

Roberts, a Miami transfer, anchored a defense that ranked among the nation's best all season long. His 10 sacks were No. 13 in the country, setting the tone for defensive coordinator Scott Symons' defense to rack up 47 sacks, the second most in program history. It didn't take long for Symons to take to Twitter to publicly praise his defensive end.

"Much deserved recognition," Symons wrote. "Came here looking for an opportunity, stayed humble... I'd say you've made the most of it so far."

@E1ijahRoberts much deserved recognition! Came here looking for an opportunity, stayed humble… I’d say you’ve made the most of it so far. https://t.co/yXEy76Mnm9

— Scott Symons (@coachsymons) December 11, 2023

Forty-one schools are represented on the All-American teams, led by Georgia with three players. Nine schools had two players honored: Boise State, Iowa, LSU, Miami (Ohio), Michigan, Texas, Toledo, UNLV and Washington. Roberts joins former Mustang standout Rashee Rice, a second-team selection on offense in 2022.

Roberts has one more game to add to his overall stats for the season. The Mustangs play Boston College in the Fenway Bowl at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 28 on ESPN.

(SMU Communications contributed to this story)

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