Rhett Lashlee Signs SMU Extension, Ends Speculation About His Future

Rhett Lashlee, SMU football coach is not leaving. According to the Brandon Marcello of CBS Sports, the Mustangs head coach has signed a two-year contract extension that will see him stay in the school until the 2032 season. According to Yahoo Sports, the new deal will involve an increase, which will raise Lashlee to one of the top 10 paid coaches in college football.

The news relieves weeks of speculation regarding the future of Lashlee, whose name had been brought up in relation to various high profile vacancies, such as in the head coaching position at Arkansas. Rhett Lashlee, 42, was a quarterback of Razorbacks and was considered to be a natural for the role. However, any speculation of his departure out of Dallas can be taken dead seriously now.

Since being named the new leader of the program in 2022, Rhett Lashlee has soon made SMU a national competitor. The Mustangs became the players of the College Football Playoff and the ACC Championship Game under his leadership in 2024, and these are among the largest seasons in the history of the school. In his three-season tenure, he has amassed a good 34-15 record and SMU is now 5-3, as it heads to a big game against No. 10 Miami on Saturday.

At the beginning of this month, Rhett Lashlee dismissed the speculations that he was interested in other coaching positions, saying he was still concentrating on SMU and the culture his team has established.

Well, I am glad, I am very happy, I have a good job, Rhett Lashlee said. Once your name is associated with jobs, then then your team and program have performed well. That comes as a compliment to all these people, our personnel, our management, and our players. I am very much excited what we are building.

The confidence that the school placed in Lashlee as a leader is demonstrated by the fact that SMU had already renewed his contract until 2030 last year. It is a twofold-punch on that promise, which will give the program a chance to become stable in a rapidly emerging college football world.

The new deal of Lashlee is not isolated since it is increasingly becoming common among colleges in the football arena, as they fight to keep winning coaches as opposed to losing them to the coaching carousel. Nebraska has just given Matt Rhule an extension and Indiana did the same with Curt Cignetti – extensions that, like those of SMU, are indicative of a philosophy of continuity rather than change.

The future of SMU is bright with Rhett Lashlee remaining in Dallas and the Mustangs can continue to dream big under the coach that brought them back to the national scene.

Also Read: Billy Napier’s Job in Danger as Florida Eyes Major Coaching Change