The worst kept secret(s) in college football will soon no longer be secrets.
As has been reported here and elsewhere, Sonny Dykes is widely expected to be the next head coach at TCU and Rhett Lashlee will leave Miami to take over at SMU. Billy Embody of Pony Stampede reports the deal is in place for Lashlee to take the SMU job when Dykes leaves for Fort Worth.
The abrupt ending is fitting for Dykes' time at SMU. After spending the 2017 season as an offensive analyst at TCU, he was named SMU's head coach on Dec. 11 of that season and stepped in to coach the Mustangs in the Frisco Bowl just nine days later when Chad Morris and his staff left for Arkansas. That game ended in a 51-10 loss for the Ponies, but in between SMU has gone 30-16 with three consecutive winning seasons.
Dykes' hiring at TCU is far enough along that running backs coach Ra'Shaad Samples, wide receivers coach David Gru, D-line coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe and strength coach Kaz Kazadi will reportedly join him on the 30-mile drive to Fort Worth.
SMU went 10-3 in 2019, starting 8-0 and rising to No. 15 in the AP poll. The 2020 team started 5-0 and rose to No. 16, and this year's group began 7-0 and again rose inside the AP Top 20.
Lashlee served as Dykes's offensive coordinator in 2018-19 before leaving to perform the same duties at Miami.
SMU will represent his first head coaching position.
SMU concludes its regular season at 4 p.m. ET Saturday against Tulsa (ESPN2).
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.