The SMU Mustangs have been one of the more underrated Power Four Conference teams in college football, with a large part of it going to coach Rhett Lashlee. The team has improved throughout his tenure and has stabilized to the point that the program made the College Football Playoff last season.
On Friday night, the SMU Mustangs and coach Lashlee agreed to a contract extension, so let’s take a deeper dive into what details we know at this point and what made them do this now.
SMU Mustangs Extend Coach Rhett Lashlee
Yahoo Sports Ross Dellenger reported that the SMU Mustangs have agreed to a two-year extension with coach Rhett Lashlee. While we do not know the financial implications of the contract extension, the report also stated that this will make him one of the top-10 highest-paid coaches in the nation.
Lashlee is currently in his fourth season with the SMU Mustangs as the team is 5-3 with a 3-1 record in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Overall, he has a 34-15 record with the program. This is his first head coaching opportunity and he won the 2024 ACC Coach of the Year. However, he is winless in three bowl game appearances to begin his career.
This contract extension comes on the heels as Lashlee having been one of the coaches linked to multiple programs with coaching vacancies. This contract extension allows him to remain in the program he has helped build up while getting a massive pay raise.
Heading into the 2025 college football season, Ole Miss Rebels coach Lane Kiffin was 10th on the highest-paid list with a $9 million salary this season. While we do not know the financials yet, this extension is expected to top that figure.
It will be interesting to see how the SMU Mustangs look with Rhett Lashlee now extended and off the potential market for other college football openings.
