Rhett Lashlee had a real chance to make himself one of the hottest names in the 2026 coaching carousel.
With openings at Arkansas, Florida, LSU, Penn State and Auburn, the SMU head coach would have fit right into the top tier of that market. He’s 43, he played quarterback at Arkansas, and his résumé already includes assistant stops at Auburn and Miami. On paper, he looked like the kind of coach a bigger job would chase hard.
Instead, Lashlee stayed put.
He signed a contract extension with SMU on Oct. 31, 2025, and he rode out the entire coaching cycle with the Mustangs. That decision says plenty about where he thinks this program stands now.
Lashlee has gone 38-16 in four seasons at SMU, and the results have given him a strong case for believing the Mustangs can keep climbing. In 2024, he led SMU to the ACC title game and the College Football Playoff.
Last season, the Mustangs missed the CFP, but they still put together a strong run with wins over Clemson, Louisville and No. 10 Miami before finishing with a victory over No.
17 Arizona in the Holiday Bowl.
What Lashlee sees is a program with the kind of backing that can actually keep pace in the modern game. He pointed to Curt Cignetti’s rise with Indiana as proof that the old rules don’t apply the same way anymore.
“It’s different than it was three years ago,” Lashlee told Chris Vannini of "The Athletic."
“Look at Indiana winning the national title and us making the Playoff. There’s more parity now, and if universities are willing to invest, you can compete no matter where you are.”
SMU has clearly been willing to invest.
Lashlee’s extension reportedly pushed him into the top 10 among the highest-paid head coaches in college football, with his deal believed to be worth more than $9 million a year. Because SMU is a private school, the contract details haven’t been made public, but a source told "The Athletic," “If people knew the numbers in Rhett’s deal, they would be shocked,”
The money hasn’t stopped with the head coach. SMU has also built out a strong staff and shown it won’t be easily outbid. The program has a healthy budget for its roster, too, and the Mustangs are prepared to pay to keep players from walking.
For Lashlee, that adds up to something rare in today’s college football world: stability.
“It’s hard to build a program now,” Lashlee said. “Man, if you’re at a good place and you’re happy and can build where you are, why go start somewhere else and go through all that work all over again? You take a new job, you lose the entire roster.”
Whether SMU ends up being the next Indiana and Lashlee the next Cignetti is still an open question. But the Mustangs are backing the idea with real money, and that alone makes them worth watching.
In Other News...
Indiana May Finally Be Showing The Toughness Fans Have Wanted
Indianas exhibition offered a better glimpse of the identity this roster has been chasing, with Samet Yigitoglu and Aiden Sherrell giving the frontcourt a more physical edge and the backcourt doing enough to keep the offense moving. Even with the perimeter shot not falling, the ball was finding open looks, and the overall effort level suggested a team that is starting to look more connected on both ends.
Aiden Sherrell was the most encouraging sign, pairing scoring with rim protection and rebounding in a way Indiana has been hoping to see from its interior pieces. Freshman Prince-Alexander Moody also stood out for his energy and defensive activity, giving the Hoosiers another jolt of toughness, and the coaching staff came away sounding upbeat about where those young players can go from here. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Fans Keep Reliving The Programs Most Painful In-State Recruiting Misses
Indiana fans have had plenty of time to replay the what-ifs around some of the states best basketball prospects, and the list keeps stretching across eras. Over the past 15 years, a string of elite Indiana high school stars has gone elsewhere for college, leaving the Hoosiers to wonder how different the programs recent history might have looked with Gary Harris, Trey Lyles, Kyle Guy and Jaren Jackson Jr. in cream and crimson instead of elsewhere.
Braylon Mullins has now been added to that familiar conversation, which only deepens the frustration for a fan base that treats in-state recruiting as a core part of Indiana basketballs identity. Each miss came with its own backstory and its own sting, but together they point to the same recurring issue for the Hoosiers: keeping the best local talent home has been far harder than it should be, and every new name only revives the old debate. [Read more 🡒]
Two Unexpected Hoosiers Just Changed The Rotation Conversation
Indianas exhibition tune-up at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall offered a first real look at how this summer roster might sort itself out before the trip to Lima. Representing the United States, IU handled Collge Jean-de-Brbeuf of Canada 98-64, and the game gave the staff a chance to see which pieces looked comfortable in a faster, looser setting ahead of the FISU America Games.
Aiden Sherrell led the way with 16 points, six rebounds and three blocks, while Markus Burton filled the box score with 11 points, six assists, six rebounds, three steals and a block in 22 minutes. The more interesting part for Indiana, though, is how the rotation conversation is starting to shift around the edges as the Hoosiers prepare to depart Saturday for Peru, where some of these early impressions could matter a lot more once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]