PHILADELPHIA (SMU) – Head coach Rhett Lashlee was named a semi-finalist for the George Munger College Coach of the Year Award presented by the Maxwell Football Club on Thursday.

The George Munger Award will be formally presented at the 87th Maxwell Awards Gala which will be held on Friday March 8, 2024 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia. Event tickets will go on sale on December 15th.
 
Finalists will be announced on December 21st and the winner of the 2023 George Munger Award will be announced on Wednesday January 10, 2024.

Lashlee is one of 14 coaches who were named, joining David Braun of Northwestern; Jeff Brohm of Louisville; Jamey Chadwell of Liberty; Curt Cignetti of James Madison; Kalen DeBoer of Washington; Eliah Drinkwitz of Missouri; Jedd Fisch of Arizona; Lane Kiffin of Mississippi; Jerry Kill of New Mexico State; Mike Norvell of Florida State; Barry Odom of UNLV; Nick Saban of Alabama and Steve Sarkisian of Texas.

This is the first time Lashlee has been selected as a semi-finalist for the prestigious award.

The Mustangs have posted an 11-2 record so far this year, capturing their first AAC Championship while going undefeated (8-0) in conference play. The 11 wins are the most by the program since the 1982 National Championship team. The conference championship marks the first outright championship won by SMU in 41 years.
 
SMU has been dominant all season long on both sides of the ball, ranking in the top 20 in the NCAA in numerous categories.

On offense, both the 528 points scored and 40.6 scoring average rank second highest in program history. The 28 rushing touchdowns are tied for third most in program history. The Mustangs have scored at least 55 points four times this season, the most in program history for a single season.
 
Defensively, the Mustangs have been one of the best teams in the country this season. The 47 sacks rank second in program history for a single season. SMU took it to the conference opposition, posting an average margin of victory of 28.9 points (45.9-17.0) in conference games this year, the largest margin for any team in the NCAA in conference play in 2023.

Lashlee was also named co-Coach of the Year by the Dave Campbell's Texas Football publication and a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award earlier this week.

ABOUT THE MAXWELL FOOTBALL CLUB – The Maxwell Football Club was founded in 1935 and is the oldest football organization of its kind in America. The Club recognizes excellence in performance at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of the game. The Maxwell Club is also deeply involved and fully vested in the community through programs to promote academic excellence, community volunteerism, and leadership. High school student-athletes around the country have an opportunity to participate in MFC Showcase events, free of charge, through the generosity of our corporate partners, The Bradley Law Firm, Montage Mountain Resort, the Edward T. Coombs Foundation and the Run Around Inc. To learn more about our story visit www.maxwellfootballclub.org.
 
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The George Munger College Coach of the Year Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about the association.