SMU Head Coach Rhett Lashlee Responds To Reports Tying Him To Arkansas Job

SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee is believed to be one of several candidates for the Arkansas job now that the Razorbacks fired Sam Pittman on Sunday.

Lashlee spoke with reporters this week and was asked about the Arkansas job speculation surrounding him. Per AL.com:

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“I’m happy,” Lashlee said, via the Dallas Morning News. “I’ve got a great job. I think when your name gets linked to jobs it means your team has done well, your program has done well, so it’s a compliment to what our staff, administration and players have built over the last three-plus years. A lot of times there’s obvious connections. If it’s your alma mater it’s easy to link names.

“I haven’t given it any thought because there hasn’t been anything to give thought to. It’s a fair question. I’m really excited with what we’re building here. I am not discouraged at all by the fact that we’re sitting here at 2-2.”

The 42-year-old Lashlee played for Malzahn at Shiloh Christian High School in Springdale, Ark., then was a backup quarterback at Arkansas from 2002-04. He started his coaching career with the Razorbacks as a graduate assistant in 2006, then worked twice at Auburn (2009-10 and 2013-16) along with assistant-coaching stints at Samford (2011), Arkansas State (2012), Connecticut (2017), SMU (2018-19) and Miami (2020-21) before being hired as Mustangs head coach prior to the 2022 season.

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