The Big Lead

Rhett Lashlee's contract extension a great way to keep SMU at the top of the ACC heap

By Sam Westmoreland

Nov 16, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Southern Methodist Mustangs head coach Rhett Lashlee looks on before the game between the SMU Mustangs and the Boston College Eagles at the Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Nov 16, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Southern Methodist Mustangs head coach Rhett Lashlee looks on before the game between the SMU Mustangs and the Boston College Eagles at the Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee agreed to a new contract extension with the Mustangs on Friday, according to a report from ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, and it's just what the school needs to keep themselves at the top of the chaotic ACC going forward.

While terms weren't disclosed because SMU is a private school, it's hard to imagine that SMU, which has a fairly sizable donor base and is eager to contend with the bluest of college football blue bloods, didn't pony up a sizable chunk of change to make sure Lashlee remains their man in charge.

Lashlee has done an absolutely stellar job continuing the Mustangs' rebuild back to national prominence after Sonny Dykes bolted for TCU; after a 7-6 first season, SMU went 10-2 last year and won the American Athletic Conference title, their first conference title since 1984, before they were given the "death penalty" by the NCAA for paying players, among other infractions.

This year has been more of the same in Dallas; outside of a heartbreaker loss to BYU in Week 3 (a loss that has looked better and better with each passing week), the Mustangs have yet to drop a game this year, their first as a power conference program since the heyday of the Southwest Conference. They currently sit atop the ACC standings, and with lightweights Cal and Virginia left on the schedule, a trip to the conference title game seems likely.

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Lashlee's strength as a coach is his offensive scheme. This season the Mustangs are running a pretty balanced offense, ranking in the top 50 nationally in both rushing and passing yards, eighth in scoring, and 12th in net EPA, per College Football Insiders. Couple that with being located in the incredibly fertile Dallas-Fort Worth recruiting area, and you have a coach who is perfectly suited to help the Mustangs get the level up they so desperately crave.

In the chaotic ACC, Lashlee has the Mustangs poised to contend now and in the future, and by locking him down for the long term, SMU has helped make sure that stays true.

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