SMU and head coach Rhett Lashlee have reached an agreement on a contract extension. The No. 13 Mustangs are on the brink of an ACC championship and a College Football Playoff bid with a 6-0 conference record and 9-1 overall mark.
Lashlee, 41, is in his third season in Dallas, replacing Sonny Dykes after two seasons as offensive coordinator in Miami. Prior to that, he spent a season at UConn as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach before moving on to SMU to coach those same roles for Dykes.
For most of his career as an assistant, Lashlee worked under Gus Malzahn, running his offense and coaching quarterbacks at Arkansas State and Auburn. He played three seasons as a quarterback at Arkansas before becoming a coach.
Terms of the contract extension were not disclosed since SMU is a private school. However, this is the second extension Lashlee signed with the program, the first of which was in December 2023. Her success will presumably draw interest from other schools, but the new contract will likely address that status.
“Rhett was the clear choice when we conducted our head coaching search in 2021, and everything he and his staff accomplished only validates our decision,” said SMU athletic director Rick Hart. in a statement. “He has operated aligned with our values and represents SMU with class and integrity.
“As we navigate a time of significant change in college athletics and the college athletics model, Rhett has been an invaluable partner and leader,” he added. “We are excited to have Rhett, Lauren and their family continue this journey with us and look forward to creating champions and competing for championships for years to come.”
At SMU, Lashlee has compiled a 27-10 record, and the Mustangs went bowl in each of his first two seasons. SMU went 11-2 and won the American Athletic Conference last season, its last in that conference before moving to the ACC.
Lashlee’s teams have won 18 of their last 20 games. The Mustangs’ only loss this season was to No. 12 BYU in Week 2. Their remaining regular season matchups are at Virginia and against Cal. An ACC championship matchup would likely be against Miami or Clemson.