SMU Coach Rhett Lashlee on 2025 Season, Playoff Aspirations, and Building a Winning Culture

Building a Winning Culture at SMU

• 🏆 SMU's winning culture is established, but must be fought for and maintained annually to avoid complacency.
• 🤝 Alignment is key, with the administration, city of Dallas, alumni, and fans all pulling in the same direction.
• 📈 The program aims to become a consistent contender, with the expectation of winning becoming the norm.

The 2025 SMU Mustangs: A New Identity

• 🆕 This year's team features 42 new scholarship players, making it a brand new squad distinct from last season's success.
• 🎯 The team is actively creating its own personality and identity through fall camp, with accountability and motivation to reach the playoffs.
• ⚠️ The team must learn to handle adversity and stay healthy to navigate a challenging schedule against top ACC and Big 12 opponents.

Navigating Expectations and Sustained Success

• ❓ Critics may view last year's success as a fluke, but SMU is embracing the mindset of having to prove themselves again.
• 📊 While SMU is ranked preseason top 20 and picked high in the ACC, the program is still in the prove-it stage nationally.
• 🚀 The goal is to join the elite few programs that contend every year, requiring sustained success and consistent performance.

Coaching Philosophy and Fatherhood

• 🧠 Lashlee emphasizes high self-expectations to manage external pressure and enjoys the process of coaching and leading.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Fatherhood and coaching roles mesh, with lessons learned in leading, problem-solving, and caring for others applied across both domains.
• 🤝 Building trust and consistency in coaching are crucial for players to navigate both winning and losing.

Quarterback Development and Belief

• 💡 Coach Lashlee fully believes in QB Kevin Jennings despite the tough end to last season, emphasizing his past success and resilience.
• 🗣️ Jennings is encouraged to stay true to himself and not lose confidence, as his core identity as a winner is what makes him successful.
• 📈 Experience, both from coaches like Lashlee and recent players like Deer King, helps in guiding quarterbacks through challenges.