Take a deep breath, Mustangs fans; it’s official—Rhett Lashlee isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Even before he rocked this season, SMU officials announced it in mid-November, signing a contract extension to their head coach, Lashlee. To be honest, it looks like a perfect move. This man had been an absolute game since he joined the Mustang. And this season? Pure gold.

Lashlee, who’s 42, doesn’t go to his age because he coaches like a seasoned vet. He spent three years at the SMU Mustangs and turned the program upside down for all the good reasons. Especially this year, Lashlee has led the Mustangs into its most successful season in the last 60 years. Lashlee has even taken them to the next week’s conference title game against the Clemson Tigers. What is Rhett Lashlee’s salary?

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Before his contract got extended, before the game against Virginia, Lashlee hinted at his contract extension, saying, “We look forward to building upon our success and making our mark on college football’s national stage. I want to thank everyone at SMU for believing in me and my family. We’re thrilled to be here for the long haul. Pony up!”

SMU’s keeping the contract stuff and all under wraps, just the private school things! But word on the street is Lashlee’s newly signed contract was believed to pay around $2.3 million per year, so yeah, it’s great to say he’s getting a decent buck. If you’re unaware of his backstory, Lashlee has been glued to Gus Malzahn’s influence since high school, playing QB in his team at Shiloh Christian in Arkansas, and later, he served as his grad assistant at Arkansas and Auburn.

Meanwhile, when Malzahn went to Auburn in 2013, Lashlee joined as his offensive coordinator and led the Tigers to an SEC title spot in the BCS national championship in his first year. Fast forward to some time after that, Lashlee took the OC job at places like UConn, Miami, and, yeah, SMU before taking over as head coach when Sonny Dykes moved to TCU. How has been his journey after that?

How long has Rhett Lashlee been HC

So basically, he took the head coaching job at SMU back in 2022 following Dykes’ departure from TCU. Since then, he has not looked back. Only a year ago, under Lashlee’s leadership, the Mustangs snagged their first conference title in the past 29 years. This season, their only loss was against BYU, and they are heading towards the conference championship game, holding high chances to crush the Clemson Tigers and enter the playoffs.

Meanwhile, highlighting his journey as the SMU head coach, their athletic director, Rick Hart, opened up, saying, “Rhett was the clear choice when we hired him, and everything he’s done since just proves we made the right call. He’s a class act, a leader, and someone who really gets what SMU is all about. We’re pumped to have him and his family sticking with us for the long haul.”

The Mustangs have a conference game scheduled for the coming Saturday before their final shot at the playoffs. Meanwhile, Rhett Lashlee is “choosing to believe” that if SMU loses against Clemson this Saturday, the committee should consider their spot in the playoffs; otherwise, the coaches might try to avoid conference games in the future! Well, he got a point.