SMU, Rhett Lashlee agree to multi-year contract extension, raise
SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee agreed to a multi-year contract extension with the university, sources told On3. The deal, which will be announced on Monday shortly, includes a raise that puts Lashlee squarely on par with coaches in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Also of note is SMU’s commitment to Lashlee building and retaining a coaching staff that is among the highest-paid in America. SMU’s a private institution, but sources indicated the salary pool is well inside the Top 25 in college football, which would be in the $7 million a year range.
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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 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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As the 2023 season winds down, Lashlee’s attention will soon turn to the Mustangs joining the ACC this summer. This summer, the program will also move into a new $150+ million football operations facility, the Garry Weber EndZone Complex at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. That facility is a part of nearly $250 million in football facility upgrades recently, joining the Armstrong Fieldhouse.
With SMU extending Lashlee, that’s expected to help in a pivotal time of year as the NCAA Transfer Portal window opens Dec. 4. The Mustangs have done a terrific job mining the portal and will need to recruit new talent for its new league.
First, SMU plays for the chance to win its first conference championship in four decades on Saturday. As silly season gets in full swing, there aren’t any questions of Lashlee’s future on the Hilltop.
