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Rhett Lashlee excited by contract extension at SMU

On3 imageby:Billy Embody•11/27/23•

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SMU HC Rhett Lashlee. (Matt Visinsky - On3)

SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee agreed to a multi-year contract extension with the university, the school announced on Monday.

“We are excited to announce this extension with Coach Lashlee to keep him on the Hilltop for years to come,” said SMU athletic director Rick Hart. “Coach, his family and his staff have poured so much into our program and our student-athletes. This extension is well deserved and there’s no question about the commitment and dedication that he has shown to SMU. As we enter the ACC, there is no one we’d rather have leading our football program than Rhett.”

“Lauren, our kids and I love being part of the SMU Family. We want to thank Dr. Turner, Rick Hart, David Miller, Bill Armstrong, the Board of Trustees and the entire University community for their continued belief in us and our staff,” Lashlee said in a statement. “We believe in what we are building on the Hilltop and we are excited to finish this season with a chance to compete for the conference championship in the American, and we’re humbled to be leading our program into the ACC in 2024 and beyond.” 

The deal includes a raise that puts Lashlee squarely on par with coaches in the Atlantic Coast Conference, sources said.

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SMU entered into the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time this season on Sunday after a commanding 59-14 victory against Navy on Nov. 25, coming in at No. 25. The win pushed the Mustangs’ record to 10-2 on the season and a perfect 8-0 in the American Athletic Conference. The Mustangs also climbed up a spot in the most recent AFCA Coaches Poll, moving up to 24th.

Lashlee led the Mustangs to an AAC Championship Game appearance against Tulane, which is set for Saturday at 3 p.m. CT on ABC in New Orleans.

Lashlee has SMU on the cusp of a conference championship thanks in large part to his teams’ ability to win in the month of November. Lashlee has posted a 7-1 (.875) mark for November in his two seasons as leader of the Mustangs, and his winning percentage for the month ranks as the highest for a head coach in the program’s history.

Lashlee is in his second season as the head coach at SMU and has a 17-8 career record. Lashlee, who served as offensive coordinator for the Mustangs for two seasons (2018-19), also served as the offensive coordinator at Miami in 2020 and 2021. A one-time finalist (2013) and two-time semifinalist (2019, 2020) for the Broyles Award, Lashlee has the distinction of being the only coach ever nominated for the Broyles Award four different times at four different schools (Arkansas State, Auburn, SMU, Miami).

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