SMU Coach Rhett Lashlee has agreed to a two-year contract extension that will keep him with the school through the 2032 season and remove him from the list of candidates for other positions. Brandon Marcello of CBS Sports reported on Friday. Yahoo Sports reported that the promotion Lashley will receive will make him one of the 10 highest paid coaches in the sport.
Lashley, 42, led SMU to College football Playoffs and ACC title game appearance during the 2024 campaign. Lashley 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 as they prepare to take on the No. 10 seed. Miami on Saturday.
Lashley has been linked to Arkansas job shortly after the program fired Sam Pittman earlier this month. The former Arkansas defensive back has ties to the school, making him a logical candidate for the position. However, when asked about upcoming job openings, Lashley quickly denied these rumors.
“I am not a supporter of speculation and hypotheses,” Lashley said earlier this month. “I'm happy, I have a great job. I think when your name is associated with positions, it means your team did well, the program did well. So it's a compliment to what our staff, administration and players have built over the last three-plus years. Then obvious connections often emerge. If it's your alma mater, it's easy to link names. But I didn't think about it because there's nothing to think about. excellent, fair question. But I’m very excited about what we’re creating here.”
Last fall, SMU awarded Lashley a new contract that previously tied him to the school through the 2030 season.
Lashley is the latest coach to sign a contract extension with his school instead of potentially joining the coaching carousel. Nebraska and Matt Rhule agreed to an extension earlier this week, while Indiana negotiated a long-term contract with coach Curt Cignetti to keep him with the program.
