Exclusive - Rhett Lashlee addresses Arkansas job: 'Fully committed to what we're building' at SMU

He says everything in this article except "no". He's totally talking to them And of course he is, why wouldn't he? But interesting to confirm it.

couchem said:

He says everything in this article except "no". He's totally talking to them And of course he is, why wouldn't he? But interesting to confirm it.

It wasn't a matter of if this comment was coming, but when :) I don't mean that in any bad way either.

Better than I thought we'd get, but less than I'd hoped (something along the lines of the Wolf of Wallstreet "I'm not fucking leaving" speech). Not surprising though. Even if he's truly set on staying, why not let his agent squeeze a little more out of SMU?

Guys, he is not going to Arkansas

Let him go

The excellent news is here is that people really want SMU's coach. That means something good is going on and it's lasting and the job is now coveted instead of being viewed as a graveyard. >He was a clown but Chad Morris gave SMU some visibility...and that was good enough for Arkansas. >Loathe him or something more, Sonny Dykes saw something and built on it to create success to where TCU wanted to take him. >Now you have Lashlee, and what he's done. Time will tell. The only thing I've ever asked of any coach when he/she arrives at SMU is to leave a particular program better than how it was found. I think the results for football since 2015 speak to that.

reeeeeeeeeee

PonyFan77 said:

Guys, he is not going to Arkansas

Yup, that's my opinion as well.

Maybe this is the coach speak version of "1,000% committed!"?

And 28% of readers’ interpretation = can only mean he’s leaving.

Wouldn’t rule it out by any means but I think Lashlee is likely to kneecap us much LESS on the way out than dykes and morris.

Comet7777 said:

Maybe this is the coach speak version of "1,000% committed!"?

Haha, Rhett has always used the term with me, "never say never" about jobs. He added that they really feel like they're in a great spot here. They have everything they need and are building.

That honestly was about as good as I would have expected from him. He'd be stupid to say "absolutely, positively, no way would I want to leave SMU for Arkansas"; no matter the industry, you never completely close yourself off to the possibility of a new opportunity that might meet your long term goals. But it sounds like he realizes that Arky, at least for the moment, is likely not that opportunity and that he has a great situation where he is. All we can ask.

SmullyMaguire said:

Wouldn’t rule it out by any means but I think Lashlee is likely to kneecap us much LESS on the way out than dykes and morris.

Assuming one day Lashlee leaves for another job whether that's tomorrow or in 10 years, I agree. I've been around him in some different settings and he just does and says things that other coaches wouldn't from a caring perspective.

Look, RL is getting SEC/Big10 money now so for him to move there has to be something else to sweeten the pot like NIL/assistant salaries plus a kicker for him. No question that his agent is probably "exploring" Ark job but I question if they could match us in these areas today unlike the old SWC days.

BillyEmbody said:

Assuming one day Lashlee leaves for another job whether that's tomorrow or in 10 years, I agree. I've been around him in some different settings and he just does and says things that other coaches wouldn't from a caring perspective.

Ya I also think both dykes and morris viewed smu as a stepping stone more than anything. Maybe for a moment before b12 expansion blew up in our faces dykes viewed it differently, but on the whole Rhett came in with a diff mindset than those two and doesn’t seem morally bankrupt like dykes

The non-denial denial! Knew it was coming. Good for Rhett and do think he stays. Rebuilding Arkansas is still a big career risk, that he does not need to take right now. He should wait for one of the premier SEC gigs.

SmullyMaguire said:

Ya I also think both dykes and morris viewed smu as a stepping stone more than anything. Maybe for a moment before b12 expansion blew up in our faces dykes viewed it differently, but on the whole Rhett came in with a diff mindset than those two and doesn’t seem morally bankrupt like dykes

Agreed.

Let's just examine the facts: 1. Arkansas is in the SEC...that's a better conference than the ACC, but Arkansas has been a doormat in that better conference for almost all of the 21st century 2. Arkansas paid Pittman $5.25mm per year. That's less than Lashlee is making now, and a lot less when you include incentives. Are they going to pay him $10mm per year to compensate him for the obvious risk? 3. Lashlee and his staff identify and connect with recruits. For the ones that matter, our NIL does the rest. That will continue to be the case here, NOT there 4. Coaches that flame out in the SEC, don't make a soft landing in the ACC or Big 12. If they go anywhere, it's to some mid team in one of our old conferences. See Malzahn, Mullen, Freeze (before and soon to be again), and many others 5. The only coach who has had success at Arkansas this century is the current interim head coach!!! They know him, and people of influence around that program really like people they know. They didn't bring him back as a vote of confidence in Pittman. And if you think that SEC schools are concerned about reputational issues, think again! Once again, see Hugh Freeze So, does Lashlee want to go to Arkansas for similar money, to get similar or lesser recruits, while knowingly stepping into a situation that has an 80% probability of drop kicking him into the East Carolina job in 3 years? He would have to be brimming with irrational confidence to make that move

I don't know what more you could've expected him to say. That was a pretty full throated endorsement of SMU and what he thinks he can do here. At the same time, like any coach, you never say never. If Arkansas taps John Tyson on the shoulder and says go make Rhett Lashlee the highest paid coach in the SEC then guess what? There will be a press conference in Fayetteville with RL wearing a Razorback hat. The odds of that happening are about as close to zero as possible, however. He's staying. Everything in that statement was exactly what I expected him to say. Not worried about Arkansas.

The conspiracy deepens! https://www.on3.com/boards/threads/what-im-hearing-rumors-thread.8283840/post-171877633

I'm going to believe in Rhett and support him until he gives us reason not to. He's proven to be a good man in every situation. I want him around and believe that he will remain.