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38-Win Head Coach Named Most Underrated in College Football

In a world of hot seats and jumping salaries, one underrated coach stands out.
Joe Cox|
SMU coach Rhett Lashlee was recently signed out as the most underrated head coach in college football.
SMU coach Rhett Lashlee was recently signed out as the most underrated head coach in college football. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

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SMU Mustangs

College football coaching can be a thankless job. Only one coach can win a national title, where many annually disappoint demanding fan bases. But against a background of ever-growing expectations, coaches who do more with less still get noticed.

In a recent CBS Sports column from Brad Crawford, he ranked the most underrated college football head coaches. While under-the-radar standouts like Houston's Willie Fritz, Georgia Tech's Brent Key, and Tennessee's Josh Heupel put up strong candidacies, the most underrated head coach in college football had a unique cultural challenge to overcome.

The most underrated coach

SMU coach Rhett Lashlee got the most underrated nod from Crawford after reviving SMU football. Long ago, SMU had a strong college football program, but a massive NCAA cheating scandal in the 1980s gutted the program and caused football to be shut down for two seasons. After a 10-win season in 1984, SMU didn't win seven games in a season again until 2009. The Mustangs had not been ranked in the final AP poll since 1984 until their current coach put their program on an upswing.

Under Lashlee's leadership, SMU won 11 games in 2023 and 2024, making the College Football Playoff in the program's first season in the ACC. Lashlee is 38-16 in four seasons at SMU and is 14-2 in ACC play. No wonder the coach has no compunction about picking on underachieving power programs.

Moreover, SMU has scored 32.2 points per game or more in each of his years at SMU. They have also passed for over 3,600 yards in each season. Senior QB Kevin Jennings has already passed for 7,709 yards in his SMU career.

"What's not to like about the offensive guru who has adied this program's transition to the Power Four in impressive fashion?" asked Crawford. He noted that even in 2025, SMU beat Clemson and Miami and but for an ugly loss to California, Lashlee might have had the team in the ACC title game for the second consecutive year.

Lashlee's Resume

Before he became a head coach, Lashlee built his offensive credentials as a coordinator at Samford, Arkansas State, Auburn, UConn, SMU, and Miami. Lashlee is just 42 years old and his ability to put together high-octane offenses figures to make him an in-demand potential coaching candidate for SMU's opponents to poach.

SMU has been aggressive with Lashlee's contract, with him inking a two-year extension in 2025, which extends his deal through 2032. Despite the connections, a recent prediction said that Lashlee would end up a coaching at Clemson. That said, SMU's aggressive approach and move into the ACC makes it at least more difficult for other schools to poach Lashlee.

Jennings
QB Kevin Jennings has starred under Lashlee at SMU. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Joe Cox
JOE COX

Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports. He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers. His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed. Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows. He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.

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