Rhett Lashlee believes SMU's move to the ACC 'validates' the Mustangs moving forward
The last five seasons have been SMU‘s best stretch since coming back from the Death Penalty. Between Sonny Dykes and Rhett Lashlee, 43 wins are on the resume with five straight bowl-eligible seasons. Lashlee brought home the biggest accomplishment of them all, though, winning a conference title for the first time since 1984.
But something was still missing for the Mustangs — being in a big-time conference as they once were. Left behind when the Southwest Conference fell apart, SMU has been in a Group of Five conference for the last 28 years, and recent times have been spent attempting to break back into the top ranks.
A breakthrough finally occurred and Lashlee will lead SMU into the ACC beginning this fall. He believes being a member of the ACC “validates” the Mustangs moving forward and gives them a chance to get back on the national stage.
“You’re in the heart of Dallas,” Lashlee said Tuesday on The Paul Finebaum Show. “There’s not another Division I school within 30 miles of downtown Dallas. So, the recruiting footprint is excellent. We’ve become a transfer destination, we have a great university, good history, and we’ve been winning the last five years.
“We just needed that conference affiliation. I think being the ACC is a big deal for us. It kind of validates us in recruiting and hopefully, we can use that to springboard out program back to national prominence and we have been before.”
Just looking at the differences between SMU’s 2024 and 2025 recruiting class shows what Lashlee is talking about. The Mustangs just squeaked into the top 100 nationally per the On3 Industry Team Rankings last cycle, finishing dead last in the ACC. In ’25, they sit inside the top 25 and are fourth among their conference foes, only behind Clemson, Florida State, and Miami.
Dating back a few more years, Preston Stone and RJ Maryland were the only blue-chip guys to sign with SMU out of high school. In this class alone, four are committed, and Lashlee and his staff remain in the hunt for quite a few more. Having an ACC badge on your jersey can do a lot.
Either way, talent is going to come to the Hilltop, whether through high school recruiting or the NCAA transfer portal. Being in the ACC potentially puts SMU over the top and gives Lashlee the opportunity to restore the winning ways many in Dallas have been hoping for.