Rhett Lashlee, SMU Reportedly Agree to Contract Extension to Be Top-10 Highest-Paid HC

Rhett Lashlee is reportedly staying with SMU for the foreseeable future.

Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reported Friday that the Mustangs and Lashlee "are finalizing" a two-year contract extension that will make him one of the 10 highest-paid coaches in the country. The development is notable since Dellenger pointed out he "fielded interest from other jobs."

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg explained the contract is now for seven years and runs through 2032 since Lashlee previously agreed to an extension in November 2024 that runs through 2030.

According to USA Today's database, Lashlee would have to make more than $9 million per year to crack the top 10 highest-paid coaches list. Georgia's Kirby Smart is the highest-paid coach at $13.3 million, while Ohio State's Ryan Day ($12.6 million) and USC's Lincoln Riley ($11.5 million) round out the top three.

The timing of Lashlee's extension does not feel like a coincidence.

The 2025 season is still ongoing but LSU, Penn State, Florida, Virginia Tech, Arkansas, UCLA, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Oregon State, Colorado State and UAB already have head-coaching vacancies with more likely to follow when teams decide to move on from their current coaches after the year ends.

There are only so many quality candidates to go around, and schools will be fiercely competing for candidates before the 2026 campaign.

Lashlee would have been an interesting name for a number of those schools considering the quick turnaround he has spearheaded with the Mustangs. They went 7-6 in his first season in 2022 and then immediately won 11 games in back-to-back seasons in 2023 and 2024.

They even made the 12-team College Football Playoff last season, although they lost in the first round to Penn State.

SMU has taken a step back in 2025 with a 5-3 record through the first eight games, but it is well positioned to compete in the ACC against quality competition with the opportunity to reach the expanded playoff in the modern-day era of college football. 

Lashlee already proved he can make the 12-team field with the Mustangs last season, and he is recruiting at a high level as he attempts to build a sustainable winner in the ACC.

And now the school doesn't have to worry about him potentially leaving this offseason for another job.