DALLAS -- SMU hired former Arkansas Razorback quarterback Rhett Lashlee as its new head coach Monday, bringing back its former offensive coordinator to replace Sonny Dykes.
Lashlee had been Miami's offensive coordinator for two seasons after serving in the same role for the Mustangs during Dykes' first two seasons in 2018 and 2019.
"I am humbled and excited to be returning to SMU," Lashlee said. "On the field, we want to build on the foundation of success we've established and compete for, and win, championships."
Dykes spent the past four seasons at SMU and will be introduced as TCU's new coach Tuesday, though neither school has formally announced him as Gary Patterson's replacement.
A native of Springdale, Lashlee was the quarterback at Shiloh Christian, leading the Saints to three consecutive state championship games, winning two. When he completed his high school career, he held state records in several passing categories, including career passing yards (13,201) and career touchdown passes (171).
Lashlee, 38, was primarily a backup quarterback at Arkansas. He was the quarterbacks coach at Springdale High School under Gus Malzahn, his coach at Shiloh Christian. He was a graduate assistant at Arkansas in 2006 while Malzahn was the offensive coordinator.
In all, Lashlee has been a college offensive coordinator for 11 seasons at six schools. He was at Samford in 2011 before serving on Malzahn's staffs at Arkansas State (2012) and Auburn (2013-16). Lashlee spent 2017 at UConn before going to SMU.
"As with previous transitions, our process was thorough and competitive. Ultimately, though, our conversations kept leading us back to one man -- Rhett Lashlee," SMU Athletic Director Rick Hart said. "Rhett's ability to connect with recruits, his passion and love for his players and his alignment with our vision and values are among the many reasons he has been selected to lead SMU football."
SMU planned to formally introduce Lashlee during a campus news conference today.
The bowl-bound Mustangs (8-4), still among the nation's top offenses at 38.4 points and 465.9 yards per game this season, started 7-0 before losing four of their final five games. SMU averaged nearly 42 points and 489 total yards a game in 2019 with Lashlee as OC before he went to Miami.
The Hurricanes (7-5) have averaged 450 yards and 35 points per game this year, including 530 yards in a 47-10 win at Duke in the regular-season finale Saturday.
OKLAHOMA
Rattler in portal
Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler, a preseason All-American who lost the starting job early in the season, announced on social media Monday that he will enter the transfer portal.
The decision came a day after Coach Lincoln Riley's decision to leave for Southern Cal.
Rattler was a 5-star prospect and the top high school quarterback in the class of 2019. After a successful 2020 season, he entered this season as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate. But he struggled at times to move the team and was booed at times by the home fans.
He was benched after a slow start against Texas, and Caleb Williams took over and rallied the team to victory. Williams kept the starting job.
Rattler's decision also comes as a number of Oklahoma recruits have chosen to decommit. Five-star quarterback Malachi Nelson, one of the top prospects in the class of 2023, is just one of those to open up his options.
WASHINGTON
DeBoer takes over
Washington hired Fresno State's Kalen DeBoer on Monday to lead the Huskies, handing a program that has struggled offensively to a coach with a track record of productive and creative offenses.
DeBoer, 47, met with Washington officials in Fresno, Calif., early in the day and the deal was announced a few hours later.
DeBoer has spent the past two seasons at Fresno State, going 12-6. The Bulldogs went 9-3 this season, including a victory against UCLA. They lead the Mountain West in yards per play (6.34) and yards per game (463.6) and are second in scoring (33.6 points per game).
"My family and I are so grateful for the opportunity to lead such a storied program and be part of this prestigious institution," DeBoer said in a statement. "The tough, hard-nosed tradition of Washington football speaks for itself, and it was obvious throughout this process that UW is committed to competing at the highest level."
He previously worked under Jeff Tedford at Fresno State during the 2017 and 2018 seasons as offensive coordinator. He left to take the offensive coordinator job at Indiana for the 2019 season before returning to Fresno State in 2020 after Tedford stepped down for health reasons.
His history with Tedford likely played in DeBoer's favor with Washington. Tedford has a tight friendship with former Washington coach Chris Petersen, who has served as an adviser for athletic director Jen Cohen since he stepped down after the 2019 season.
Tedford also worked as a consultant for Washington during the 2016 season when the Huskies won the Pac-12 championship and reached the College Football Playoff.
Prior to his time at Fresno State, DeBoer worked at Eastern Michigan and Southern Illinois, and was the head coach at his alma mater Sioux Falls from 2005-09. He went 63-7 in five seasons as head coach, winning three NAIA championships.
Washington is replacing Jimmy Lake, who was fired on Nov. 14 after just 13 games coached. Lake was suspended for making physical contact with one of his players on the sideline on Nov. 6 during a loss to Oregon. A week later, Lake was dismissed, capping a downward spiral season that started with a loss to FCS powerhouse Montana in Week 1 and never improved.
TEMPLE
Owls fire Carey
Temple fired Coach Rod Carey on Monday after three seasons with the school, ending a tenure that started with a bowl game and finished with a combined two conference wins in the past two seasons.
The Owls completed a 3-9 season on Saturday with their seventh straight lopsided loss, falling to Navy 38-14.
"It's never an easy decision to replace a head coach," Temple Athletic Director Arthur Johnson said. "The past two seasons have not been easy with the challenges of the pandemic. I want to thank Rod for staying committed to our student-athletes and wish him and his family well in their next chapter."
Carey went 12-20 at the Philadelphia-based school after being hired away from Northern Illinois in January 2019. He went just 4-15 over the past two seasons, 2-13 in the American Athletic Conference during that same span.
JACKSONVILLE STATE
Rodriguez hired
Jacksonville State has hired former major college head coach Rich Rodriguez to lead its program into the FBS level.
Rodriguez formerly coached at Arizona, Michigan and West Virginia. He just finished his first season as Louisiana-Monroe's offensive coordinator after holding the same job at Mississippi in 2019.
Rodriguez, 58, replaces John Grass, who went 72-26 in eight seasons with the FCS program, which is moving up to Conference USA.
Jacksonville State announced the hiring Monday night, and he will be introduced as the Gamecocks' 28th head coach at a news conference today.
Rodriguez was fired from Arizona in January 2018 after his former administrative assistant filed a claim with the state Attorney General's office accusing him of sexually harassing her and creating a hostile work environment. The university said it couldn't substantiate the claims but was concerned about the "direction and climate of the football program."
He was 43-35 in six seasons with Arizona after coaching at Michigan from 2008-10 and West Virginia from 2001-07. Overall, Rodriguez has a 163-119-2 career record in 24 seasons as a head coach, including seven at NAIA Glenville State.