SMU coach Rhett Lashlee has agreed on a two-year contract extension that will tie him to the school through the 2032 season and will take him out of the candidate pool for other jobs, CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello reported on Friday. Yahoo Sports reported that the raise that Lashlee will receive will make him one of the top-10 highest-paid coaches in the sport.
Lashlee, 42, guided SMU to the College Football Playoff and an appearance in the ACC title game during the 2024 campaign. Lashlee has been with the program since the 2022 season and has compiled a 34-15 record at the school. The Mustangs are currently 5-3 heading into a showdown against No. 10 Miami on Saturday.
Lashlee was connected to the Arkansas job shortly after the program fired Sam Pittman earlier this month. The former Arkansas quarterback has ties to the school, making him a logical candidate for the position. However, when asked about upcoming job openings, Lashlee quickly shot down the rumors.
“I don’t stand anywhere on speculation and hypotheticals,” Lashlee said earlier this month. “I’m happy, I’ve got a great job. I think when your name gets linked to jobs it means your team has done well, the program has done well. So it’s a compliment to what our staff and administration and players have built over the last three-plus years. Then a lot of times there’s obvious connections. If it’s your alma mater, it’s easy to link names. But I haven’t given it any thought because there hasn’t been anything to give thought to. It’s a great, fair question. But I’m really excited with what we’re building here.”
SMU rewarded Lashlee with a new contract last fall that previously tied him to the school through the 2030 season.
Lashlee is the latest coach to sign an extension with his school, rather than potentially joining the coaching carousel. Nebraska and Matt Rhule agreed on an extension earlier this week, while Indiana secured a long-term deal with coach Curt Cignetti to keep him with the program.
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