BELLE FOURCHE - Alex Kling knows the odds are not all in his favor.

The Belle Fourche native is hard at work this summer preparing for his first season of Division I football at Southern Methodist University where he is trying to prove to the doubters that a small-town South Dakota football player can suit up and succeed against some of the best talent in the country.

"I really want to stay at SMU and play there, so it is a lot of work. But I think it is going to pay off," Kling said. "People think it is pretty cool that I am breaking away from the norm. I know some people still don't think that I can make it at the Division I level because I notice I have a lot of naysayers, but that is going to happen no matter what decision I would have made. That doesn't really bother me."

Kling will join the Mustangs as a priority walk-on. He will be considered a member of the team, will attend fall camp and does not have to try out. However, he will not know until sometime into his first season if he will earn a scholarship. If he doesn't, it won't be for a lack of trying.

"Monday, Tuesday and Thursdays I do a speed-training camp from 6 to 8 in the morning and Wednesday and Friday - the two off days of the camp - I come here and lift with (head wrestling) coach (Justin) Schlecht," Kling said. "And then I will come back in the evening to lift for two more hours.

"I can tell I am getting a little stronger, but I am sure I will notice it a little bit more later."

Kling's training focuses a lot on jumping on plyometric boxes with resistance, explosion lifts and running with a parachute strapped to his back for resistance - all in the name of increasing his speed and strength.

"My (SMU) coaches are pleased with my size. They just want me to work on my strength because you can always work on that, and I have taken some time off of my 40- (yard dash)," he said.

Even though Kling is not a morning person, he has been dedicated to the camp and lifting sessions that began on June 1 and conclude July 13.

Kling is looking for an edge that will help him improve on a senior season at Belle Fourche that saw him lead the Broncs to their first Black Hills Conference championship in 10 years. He was also named to all-Black Hills Conference team and was a Class 11A all-state selection. He quarterbacked an offense to more than 7,000 yards in two seasons, while adding 51 tackles, nine interceptions - two of which returned for touchdowns - 25 pass breakups and eight forced fumbles.

Kling was first noticed by SMU defensive coordinator Tom Mason at a Fresno State football camp, and the two stayed in contact through the years before Kling made his decision to follow Mason to Texas.

Kling, who is undecided on a major, plans to move to the Dallas-area university in early August, a few days before football camp begins Aug. 7. He will begin working toward earning playing time at one of the safety positions. He will also spend his fair share of time eating as the coaches will put him on a 6,000-calorie-a-day diet as they look to bulk him up for the long season.

Kling's first season at SMU has the Conference USA school traveling to Washington State and Texas Christian University for non-conference games before getting the conference season started.

While Kling could have had an easier route by accepting one of several football scholarship offers he got from schools such as the University of Sioux Falls and the University of Mary, he is glad he decided to challenge himself.

"I really got to know the coaches at Mary and Sioux Falls well, so it was hard to tell them I was going to do something different. But they left the door open, so if things don't work out at SMU I can come back, which I appreciated," he said. "It was tough, but it is a decision I was glad I tried and made."

Kling got his first taste of SMU when he attended the spring game and met the entire coaching staff for the first time and a few of his fellow incoming recruits. It gave him a new perspective on the level of play he will begin seeing in the fall.

"It is fast and those guys are very fast," he said. "So that is the one thing that I really noticed that the speed of the game has really picked up, and it is going to be tough to cover some of those receivers because they are very fast."

The SMU defense, which at times has as many as five defensive backs on the field at once, will give Kling the chance to play at a couple of different positions. In fact, Kling's overall athletic ability as a successful high school quarterback was one of the main things SMU liked about him.

"A lot of schools viewed me as a good athlete with good speed, and a lot of schools liked the idea that they would be able to put some size on me," he said.

For now, Kling is putting in the time to be as prepared as he can be for the next big step in his life, and give himself the best chance to prove the naysayers wrong.

"I am glad that I chose this instead of taking a local scholarship," Kling. "I am glad I chose to try the Division I level, because even if I don't make it, I know that I at least tried."