A university that literally paid its own way from the Group of 5 to the Power 4 was never going to lose its coach over money. And they won't.
SMU and head coach Rhett Lashlee agreed on a 2-year extension, multiple outlets reported Friday night. The deal will place Lashlee among the 10 highest-paid coaches in college football. Lane Kiffin, Eli Drinkwitz, Josh Heupel and Mark Stoops are in a four-way tie for 10th place at $9 million, according to USA Today.
The extension keeps Lashlee under contract with SMU through 2032. Its his second extension with the school in less than a calendar year.
Lashlee, 42, is 34-15 in three-plus four seasons at SMU, his first head coaching position. After a 7-6 debut, he led the Mustangs to an 11-3 mark and an American Athletic Conference title in 2023, an 11-3 season with an ACC Championship berth and a College Football Playoff appearance in 2024, and a 5-3 mark to date this season. Prior to a 13-12 loss at Wake Forest last week, SMU had won 20 consecutive regular season conference games. The Ponies host No. 10 Miami on Saturday (noon ET, ESPN).
Lashlee had been mentioned most commonly for the Arkansas head coaching vacancy. The Springdale, Ark., native played quarterback for the Hogs from 2002-04 and was a GA under Gus Malzahn in 2006.