Southern Methodist University Football

Head Coach Rhett Lashlee continued to build on the success of the program in his fourth season in charge in 2025. Lashlee has a career head coaching record of 38-16 (.703), the most wins for a head coach in his first four years in program history. The fourth-year coach has been the driving force behind the Mustangs' return to prominence, as illustrated by the program's first appearance in the College Football Playoff (CFP) in 2024 as the No. 11 seed, capturing the first outright conference championship (2023) since 1982, and the first bowl win for the program since 2012 in January of 2026 while continuing a program-record run of being bowl-eligible for a seventh consecutive season. The Arkansas native previously served as offensive coordinator for SMU (2018-19), Miami (2020-2021), and held coordinator positions at Auburn (2013-16), UConn (2017), Arkansas State (2012), and Samford (2011). A four-time Broyles Award nominee, Lashlee has established himself as one of college football's premier offensive minds, consistently elevating his programs' offensive productivity and developing quarterback talent at the highest level.

Baylee Bennett enters her third season with SMU Football in 2025 and serves as the Assistant Director of On-Campus Recruiting after spending the previous two seasons

Brandon Sukenik enters his first season on the Hilltop as special teams assistant. In the Mustangs’ historic 2024 campaign, Sukenik served as a football operations

Britney Doan is entering her fourth season with SMU Football, serving as the Assistant Director of Player Operations for Defense.   In her role, she oversees player

Entering his fourth year at the Hilltop in 2025, Bryan Filker assumes a new role as the Director of Recruiting Operations, marking his fourth consecutive position

Calvin Thibodeaux enters his fifth season with the Mustangs, serving as the defensive line coach. Thibodeaux was named defensive line coach in December 2021,

Carson Morris enters his third season with the Mustangs in 2026 and his first as the program’s assistant quarterbacks coach. Morris spent the previous two seasons

Casey Horny is in his third season with SMU in 2026 as the assistant special teams coordinator. The special teams unit posted a strong performance in the 2025

Chris Wood joined the Mustangs in the summer of 2025 as Director of High School Relations.  Wood brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from the high school

Christy Schuld enters her second season with SMU in 2025, first with football.   She joined the Mustangs as Director of Sports Nutrition for Olympic sports prior

Cole is an Assistant Athletic Trainer at SMU, he started with the sports medicine program in 2021. In his first season at SMU, Cole worked as an Intern Athletic

Connor Mogan joined  the Hilltop in 2024 as Director of Player Personnel. At SMU, Morgan is responsible for overseeing high school and transfer prospect identification,

Cooper Lindsey joined the SMU football staff in the summer of 2025 and serves as the Graduate Assistant for Football Video Services. Lindsey arrived at the Hilltop

AWARDS & ACCOLADES 2025 Dave Campbell's Texas Football 40 Under 40 List 2024 247Sports 30under30 List BIO D'Eriq King enters his fourth season with the Mustangs

Danny Wesley joined the Hilltop in 2022 and is currently Senior Director of Recruiting Strategy.

AWARDS & ACCOLADES 2023 Dave Campbell's Texas Football 40 Under 40 List 2022 On3 Sports' Rising Stars  BIO Demerick Gary enters his second season on the Hilltop

Devon Kleich joined the SMU football staff in spring of 2022 and serves as director of football video services.   Kleich arrived on the Hilltop after three seasons

DJ Mann enters his first season on the Hilltop in 2026 in the role of Director of Offensive Player Personnel.  Mann jumped to the college game in 2024 when he

Dwayne Chandler was named SMU's assistant head strength & conditioning coach in January 2022. Chandler came to the Hilltop after four seasons at Virginia, where

Emilio Terrazas enters his third season with the Mustangs, joining SMU in May of 2024 in the role of Assistant Director of Creative Content. He was promoted to

AWARDS & ACCOLADES 2014 Mountain East Conference Coach of the Year 2011 WVIAC Coach of the Year BIO Garin Justice was hired as the Mustangs' offensive line

Gary Chambers II is entering his second year with SMU as the Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning in 2025. He played a key role in the team's development

Hannah Cesario arrived on the Hilltop in February 2023. Cesario serves as the Director of Internal Football Operations, managing the behind-the-scenes logistics

Ian Chennell is an Assistant Athletic Trainer, joining SMU Sports Medicine in the summer of 2022. His primary responsibility is the healthcare of the football student-athletes. Prior

J.R. Sandlin enters his second year with the SMU Mustangs as the Assistant Athletic Director and General Manager for SMU Football. In his first season, the Mustangs

Jake Langi embarks on his first season at the Hilltop as Senior Personnel Analyst, where he plays a critical role in both player evaluation and recruitment. With

Jeremiah Wait is entering his fourth season at SMU and his first as Director of Defensive Personnel & NFL Liaison. He was elevated to his current role following

Jonathan McGill enters his first season as the Mustangs' assistant secondary coach in 2026. McGill wrapped a successful playing career for SMU in 2024, highlighted

Josh Nash arrived on the Hilltop in 2022 as the assistant director of football operations at SMU after spending the previous three seasons as the director of football

Kyle Ward enters his first season with the Mustangs in 2026 as the coach of the safties.  Ward comes to the Hilltop after serving as the defensive coordinator

Marcelo Uribe Hernandez joined the SMU football staff in the summer of 2024 and serves as the Assistant Director of Video Services. Uribe arrived at the Hilltop

Matthew McHugh enters his second season on the Hilltop in 2026, serving as assistant running backs coach. McHugh joined the Mustangs in the summer of 2025 as

AWARDS & ACCOLADES 2024 Dave Campbell's Texas Football 40 Under 40 List BIO Maurice Crum Jr. enters his fourth season on the Hilltop in 2026, serving as co-defensive

Megan Ferraguti arrived on the Hilltop at the beginning of the Rhett Lashlee era in January 2022 and currently serves as Executive Director of Head Coach Operations

Paige Smith is entering her second season back on the Hilltop as the Director of On-Campus Recruiting in 2025. She previously was had the assistant director position

Parker Stone is entering his second season as SMU’s assistant tight ends coach and his first season as the program’s senior offensive analyst, having quickly established

Reggie Bain enters his second season with SMU in 2026 in the role of assistant offensive line coach. In 2025, Bain helped coach an offensive line that allowed

BIO Rickey Hunley, Jr. enters his fifth season at SMU in 2026, serving as co-defensive coordinator and overseeing the secondary.   Hunley, Jr. joined the Mustang

Riley Dodge joined SMU in January 2026 and coaches the tight ends, while also serving as the passing game coordinator.  Dodge spent the past eight seasons as

Arriving with 30 years of coaching experience, Rob Likens was named assistant head coach, wide receivers coach and pass game coordinator in December 2021, and was

Ryan Ragone enters his first season on the Hilltop in 2026, serving as an assistant linebackers coach. Ragone helped with the Mustangs in 2025, assisting with

AWARDS & ACCOLADES 2025 AFCA 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute Selection  BIO Sam Dunnam arrived on the Hilltop in 2022, entering his fifth season in

Sam Gregg enters his first season on the Hilltop in 2026 as the senior assistant to the defensive coordinator. Before joining the Mustangs, Gregg spent the 2025

Scott Nady is in his seventh season (2023) on the Hilltop and serves as the senior assistant for player development and Dallas recruiting relations. He was born

Shawn Griswold was hired as Head Football Strength Coach/Assistant A.D. for Human Performance in January 2022.   Griswold arrived on the Hilltop after four seasons

Steve Plourde joined SMU’s Sports Medicine Staff in February of 2023 and serves as the Head Football Athletic Trainer for the Mustangs.  In this role, he will lead

Warren Messer enters his fourth season on the Hilltop in 2026, serving as the nickels coach and a senior analyst. An assistant cornerbacks coach in the 2025 season,

Zeke Armijo enters his first season with the Mustangs, joining SMU in May 2025 as a Creative Graduate Assistant.  In this role, he is responsible for designing