FSU football: Ranking all top coaches in the ACC (2024)
By Kelvin Hunt
Rhett Lashlee (SMU) 18-9 overall
We have a newcomer to the top 10 list in the form of SMU's Rhett Lashlee. I know you're thinking he doesn't have any ACC wins or much head coaching experience. He was the offensive coordinator at Miami under Manny Diaz when he got fired, and thankfully, Miami administrators were too dumb to hire him instead of Mario Cristobal.
Lashlee went 7-6, 5-3 AAC in his first year at SMU in 2022, and went 11-3, 8-0 AAC in 2023. He didn't take over a terrible program, as Sonny Dykes left SMU in decent shape, but it's the big jump we saw from SMU from year one to year two that catches my eye. SMU returns much of the team they had from last year and will be a tough out for most teams in year one in the ACC.