UNIVERSITY PARK — On Sunday, SMU head coach Sonny Dykes had to get something straight with his team. He had to address the elephant in the room.
“I think there was enough noise where it became necessary,” Dykes said.
For almost a month, the outside noise has grown louder and louder, indicating that Dykes would eventually leave SMU for Power Five pastures.
The noise reached a crescendo in the last week. TCU, according to a report from 247Sports, is “zeroing in” on hiring Dykes as its next head coach.
Sources also told The Dallas Morning News on Tuesday that former SMU offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee, now at Miami, is the front-runner for the SMU head coaching job when Dykes departs.
Lashlee, 38, was the offensive coordinator at SMU for two seasons. That included 2019, when SMU won 10 games and averaged 41.8 points per game — the seventh most in the country that year.
SMU has, or plans to, interview other potential candidates to replace Dykes, but Lashlee is the clear target, sources said. The decision to hire Lashlee could also happen quick.
Before that, SMU plays Tulsa on Saturday in the final game of the regular season. Dykes, according to 247Sports, is expected to be announced as the TCU head coach soon after Saturday’s game. Lashlee could be in place as SMU’s head coach soon after that, sources said.
A few weeks ago, Dykes was asked if the outside noise about his coaching future needed to be addressed with his team. His leadership council, made up of player captains, told him it wasn’t necessary. On Sunday, Dykes decided it was time to acknowledge the rumors and talk with his players.
“He just told us his No. 1 priority is beating Tulsa,” senior offensive lineman Hayden Howerton — the school record holder for games played — said Tuesday. “And like anything goes, at the end of the year, we’ll all see what happens. He didn’t give one way or the other, and I’m OK with that, because at least he was honest with us and not lying.
“He’s got to look at his options. Being a fifth-year [senior], I don’t blame him, either way.”
Dykes was asked Tuesday if he wanted to address the TCU rumors with the media.
“No, we’re good. I’m good,” Dykes said. “Our players, I’ve talked to them and we’re good. They’re the ones that matter.”
Dykes echoed that sentiment Tuesday when talking about the group of seniors on this team. Saturday’s Senior Day against Tulsa will be the last home game for a group of seniors who had the best run at SMU since the NCAA-imposed death penalty.
“I think it’s important for our seniors,” Dykes said when asked about the significance of Saturday’s game to him. “Those guys have been through a lot. It’s really a remarkable group. They’ve been really good for me, you know what I mean? It’s been such a joy to coach them and work with them. They’ve been inspiring. I told them this morning they’ve been a lot better for me than I have for them.
“It’s a great group. I love the guys, and I think it means a lot to me personally, and I know it means a lot to send them out with a win.”
For Dykes, that’s the focus this week. He told his players that much on Sunday. That’s why, for the first time, he also felt it was needed to address the outside rumors that have become so synonymous with this program over the last month, a stretch in which SMU went from undefeated, to losing three of four games.
“So I talked to them,” Dykes said about the coaching rumors. “It’s what we have to do as coaches, and again, the good thing is we’re always truthful with each other.”
What happens after Saturday, while seemingly inevitable, is not of concern to Howerton. He said he’s focused on beating Tulsa and having the chance to end his career with two 10-win seasons. As for the coaching rumors, he said he’s sticking to what he knows.
“All I know is he’s our head coach now, he’s our head coach this week and I love him to death,” Howerton said. “I’m going to his house for Thanksgiving.”
Three turkeys will be on the menu. Howerton’s choice: the air-fried option.
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