Rafe Peavey's transfer from SMU to Florida Atlantic for his final season of eligibility left the Mustangs without a quarterback that has played a collegiate down after returning starter Ben Hicks. The move naturally raised eyebrows, but not for head coach Sonny Dykes, who likes where the position stands for the team.

"You know, not really at all," Dykes said Saturday when asked if he was worried about the depth. "We've got three quarterbacks that we've gotten a lot of reps and feel really good about. Then we've got a fourth that's here that has a chance down the road."

Behind Hicks, redshirt freshman Austin Upshaw, and true freshmen Will Brown and Derek Green all have seen action in scrimmages in fall camp. In addition to Brown being a mid-year enrollee out of Lamar Consolidated High, greyshirt Jacob Oehrlein also saw snaps this spring. Dykes likes what he's seen, even if they're inexperienced.

"If you say, 'What's the negative about the backup quarterbacks?,'" Dykes said, "They don't have a ton of experience, but they've really improved from where they were in the spring."

The future of the team will be left to Brown and Upshaw to battle it out, it appears. Both have the chance to really do some good things over the course of their careers.

"Austin has done some good things," SMU's first-year coach said. "Will Brown has done a lot of good things and shows flashes of being somebody who's got a chance to be pretty special at some point."

Hicks called both backups "great" after Saturday's final open scrimmage of fall camp, complimenting their ability to take off and run as well as the work put in on their mechanics.

"Both of them are great athletes. They can run," Hicks said. "Both of them have thrown the ball well in camp. They've worked on it. You can tell they've worked on it. They had a great summer. It was fun to work with them and I think they're going to be great players in the future."

This spring, offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee recognized the physical traits Brown possesses, but more so how he adjusted to college life as a January enrollee. Brown wasn't sure he'd pick it up after the first few days of practice, but said it's all a part of the learning process.

"Will has been a bright spot because," Lashlee explained, "I just think his attitude, his demeanor, he’s not scared, he’s confident, he jumps out, and it doesn’t matter if you put him with the first group or put him with the second group, he’s going to go out and he’s going to compete."

Brown's size at 6-5, around 220 stands out, leaving Upshaw as the under-the-radar future signal caller. He's focused on consistency in his development.

"Consistency and pocket presence is one of my biggest things," the 6-1, 200-pound quarterback told Pony Stampede this spring. "I'll have times where I'll play lights out. You've got to make the little plays that you need to."

The pair of backups have showed well, but the battle for the backup spot rages on. It's worth noting that SMU hasn't decided how they'll approach the new NCAA redshirt rule that allows players to play in four games and still earn a redshirt.

The main point is Dykes feels good about where the position stands heading into a season where Hicks is the only one with experience.

"They both have played well and performed well and there's a good competition right now for the backup spot," Dykes said.