SMU gives coach Rhett Lashlee another extension amid Arkansas speculation

DALLAS (AP) — SMU and coach Rhett Lashlee have agreed on a two-year contract extension amid speculation that he could be a candidate at Arkansas, his alma mater, and other schools on the lengthy list of vacancies.

The deal was announced Saturday a couple of hours before the Mustangs played No. 10 Miami at home. Terms weren’t disclosed.

It’s the second extension in as many years for Lashlee after the Mustangs made the 2024 College Football Playoff and won all eight Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season games in their long-awaited return to a power league.

“SMU is a special place to our family,” Lashlee said. “We are so excited for the opportunity to continue the process of building our program on the national stage.”

SMU’s nation-leading 20-game conference winning streak ended last week with a 13-12 loss to Wake Forest on a 50-yard field goal on the last play. The Mustangs won their first 11 ACC regular-season games, although they did lose to Clemson in the conference championship game last season while making the playoff anyway.

Arkansas is among several high-profile programs that have fired head coaches this season, along with LSU, Florida and Penn State. Others include Oklahoma State, UCLA and Virginia Tech. Stanford fired Troy Taylor in March.

The 42-year-old Lashlee is in his fourth year as coach of the Mustangs and took a 34-15 record into the meeting with Miami, where he spent two seasons as the offensive coordinator before taking the SMU job.

The Mustangs won the 2023 American Athletic Conference championship game for their first league title in 39 years and the 12th in program history.

“Rhett has shown an unwavering commitment to elevating SMU Football to new heights,” first-year athletic director Damon Evans said. “Under his leadership, we are building a program that will compete for championships year in and year out.”

Lashlee was hired after Sonny Dykes left for TCU following three consecutive winning seasons that included an 8-0 start in 2019. Lashlee was Dykes’ offensive coordinator for two seasons in 2018-19.

The Arkansas native started his college coaching career at Samford in 2011 and also has coached at Arkansas State, Auburn and UConn.

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