SMU makes Rhett Lashlee one of the highest-paid CFB coaches

SMU Mustangs head coach Rhett Lashlee. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

SMU makes Rhett Lashlee one of the highest-paid coaches in college football

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Renzo Pocholo Salao | Last updated Oct 31, 2025 9:54 PM ET

Southern Methodist University is paying quite the premium to ensure Rhett Lashlee stays off the college football coaching carousel.

Lashlee is finalizing a two-year extension with SMU that will make him one of the top-10 highest paid coaches in the country, per Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger.

SMU was not going to let a high-performing coach slip through their fingers again. The Mustangs first hired Lashlee to be the team’s head coach in 2021 after losing Sonny Dykes to TCU.

The 42-year-old head coach has a 34-15 record in the midst of his fourth season at SMU. He led the Mustangs to back-to-back 11-3 seasons in 2023 and 2024. Last season, Lashlee’s squad finished 12th in the AP poll and made it to the first round of the expanded College Football Playoff.

Rhett Lashlee and SMU are finalizing a 2-year extension and raise to make him one of the top-10 highest-paid coaches in the country, sources tell @YahooSports.

In his fourth season, Lashlee is 34-15 and led Mustangs to the CFP last season. He’s fielded interest from other jobs.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) November 1, 2025

The 2024 campaign was also SMU’s first in the ACC. The Mustangs did not need much of an adjustment period, as they came within three points shy of winning the ACC Championship Game against Clemson.

The banner 2024 campaign followed a strong 2023 season, wherein the Mustangs finished as the 12th-best team in the country.

The news comes ahead of SMU’s biggest test of the year on Saturday against No. 10 Miami.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: