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SMU has won 18 of its past 20 games while Rhett Lashlee has been head coach. He signed a contract extension with the program. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
SMU and head coach Rhett Lashlee have reached agreement on a contract extension. The No. 13 Mustangs are on the verge of an ACC championship and College Football Playoff bid with a 6–0 conference record and 9–1 overall mark.
Lashlee, 41, is in his third season in Dallas, taking over for Sonny Dykes after two seasons as offensive coordinator at Miami. Prior to that, he spent one season at UConn as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach before moving 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 QBs at Arkansas State and Auburn. He played three seasons as a quarterback at Arkansas before going into coaching.
Terms of the contract extension were not revealed since SMU is a private school. However, this is the second extension Lashlee has signed with the program, the first of which was in December 2023. His success will presumably draw interest from other schools, but the new contract likely addresses that status.
"Rhett was the clear choice when we conducted our head-coaching search in 2021, and everything he and his staff have accomplished only validates our decision," SMU athletic director Rick Hart said in a statement. "He has operated in alignment with our values and represents SMU with class and integrity.
"As we go through a time of significant change in college athletics and the college athletics model, Rhett has been an invaluable partner and leader," he added. "We're excited that Rhett, Lauren and his family will continue this journey with us and are looking forward to shaping champions and competing for championships for years to come."
At SMU, Lashlee has compiled a record of 27–10 with the Mustangs going to bowl games in each of his first two seasons. SMU went 11–2 and won the American Athletic Conference last season, its final one in that conference before moving to the ACC.
Lashlee's teams have won 18 of their past 20 games. The Mustangs' lone loss this season was to No. 12 BYU in Week 2. Their remaining regular season matchups are at Virginia and versus Cal. An ACC championship game matchup would likely be against Miami or Clemson.
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