The raise will make Lashlee one of the top 10 highest-paid coaches in all of college football.<\/p>\n
This is the third consecutive season Lashlee has received a contract extension at SMU.<\/p>\n
Sports Roundup<\/p>\n
By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0Terms of Service<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n Related<\/p>\n Rhett Lashlee and SMU are finalizing a 2-year extension and raise to make him one of the top-10 highest-paid coaches in the country, sources tell @YahooSports<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n In his fourth season, Lashlee is 34-15 and led Mustangs to the CFP last season. He\u2019s fielded interest from other jobs.<\/p>\n \u2014 Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) November 1, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Lashlee, 42, is in his fourth season at the helm at SMU and is coming off a stellar 2024 season in which he led the Mustangs to their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance and the ACC championship game in their first year in the conference.<\/p>\n He led the program through its jump to a power conference, going 11-1 through his first 12 ACC games. He\u2019s 3-1 in conference in 2025 with wins over Syracuse, Stanford and Clemson. SMU dropped its first regular-season ACC game last week to Wake Forest.<\/p>\n With SMU being Lashlee\u2019s first head coaching job, many wondered whether he\u2019d be destined for the SEC soon.<\/p>\n Lashlee\u2019s success at SMU garnered attention from around the country. Notably, Lashlee was a potential candidate for the open Arkansas job<\/a> after the Razorbacks fired Sam Pittman earlier this season. The Arkansas-born coach and former Razorbacks quarterback was a top target to bring back to Fayetteville.<\/p>\n Lashlee responded to the rumor mill last month. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m happy, I\u2019ve got a great job,\u201d Lashlee said at the time. \u201cI think when your name gets linked to jobs it means your team has done well, your program has done well, so it\u2019s a compliment to what our staff, administration and players have built over the last three-plus years.\u201d<\/p>\n Beyond Arkansas, many wondered whether Florida could pursue Lashlee to take Billy Napier\u2019s role, or if Auburn fires Hugh Freeze, would Lashlee return to the program where he won a national championship as a graduate assistant in 2010?<\/p>\n SMU has made any of those moves unlikely, as the Mustangs continue to give their coach the salary and resources competitive with any program in the country.<\/p>\n Lashlee has always considered SMU to be a destination job with strong NIL resources and an elite recruiting pool in its backyard. The only thing SMU was missing was a spot in power conference, which the Mustangs have now achieved.<\/p>\n The SEC may be the gold standard of college football, but Lashlee may have an easier shot of reaching the College Football Playoff every year in the ACC than at a program like Arkansas in the SEC.<\/p>\n Lashlee and SMU can now turn their attention to keeping the Mustangs in the conversation for a spot in the ACC title game. SMU already has three losses this season, including one in ACC play, so it will need some help from other teams to have a shot at returning to Charlotte.<\/p>\n But a win over No. 10 Miami Saturday at Ford Stadium would be a key step in the right direction.<\/p>\n Readers appreciate an Audi dealership worker; a pickup driver who shared an umbrella; and Clemson football fans.<\/p>\n Texas A&M\u2019s Mike Elko and SMU\u2019s Rhett Lashlee are viewed as top candidates for some of the biggest job openings.<\/p>\n Find more SMU coverage from <\/b>The Dallas Morning News<\/b> here<\/b><\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Texas](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2HZ7OICMKFA2RBFIZDRKRL56SU.jpg\")
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<\/a>Letters to the Editor \u2014 Three Cheers to helpful worker, pickup driver, Clemson fans <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>LSU\u2019s politics, drama creating ripple effects for Texas\u2019 top college football coaches<\/a><\/p>\n