SMU coach Rhett Lashlee has received a new multiyear contract, as the team made its first-ever AAC championship game and prepares to enter the ACC in 2024.
Lashlee, in his second season as SMU's coach, is 17-8 altogether, including a 13-3 mark in AAC play. The 25th-ranked Mustangs went undefeated in the AAC this season and could reach 11 wins for the first time since 1982, when they finished No. 2 nationally behind the "Pony Express" backfield of Eric Dickerson and Craig James. SMU will face No. 17 Tulane in New Orleans on Saturday (3 p.m. ET, ABC).
"We are excited to announce this extension with Coach Lashlee to keep him on the Hilltop for years to come," athletic director Rick Hart said in a statement. "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."
Lashlee had been mentioned as a candidate for potential coaching vacancies at Mississippi State, Houston and elsewhere, but contract talks with SMU accelerated last week, according to sources. The 40-year-old returned to SMU after serving as offensive coordinator there in 2018 and 2019, and helping lead the team to 10 wins and a top-10 offense in 2019. He came back after two seasons as Miami's offensive coordinator, and also has coordinator experience from Auburn, UConn and Arkansas State.
SMU in September earned an invitation to the ACC, along with Stanford and Cal, beginning in July 2024. The school then announced it had raised $100 million in a seven-day span to support its transition into the new league.