Joshua Bates holds the C · Starter spot in SMU Mustangs’s offensive line room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Joshua Bates is a center from Durango, Colorado, who transferred to SMU from Oklahoma. A four-star recruit in the 2023 class, he appeared in four games at Oklahoma in 2024, including two starts against Houston and Tulane. At SMU in 2025, Bates appeared and started in all 13 games for the Mustangs. He played on an offensive line that allowed only 19 total sacks, ranking 29th nationally and fifth in the ACC. SMU averaged 283.1 passing yards per game with Bates anchoring the line, good for 12th nationally and second in conference. He earned All-ACC Honorable Mention and All-ACC Academic Team honors.

Oklahoma2023 – 2024

SMU2025 — present