Miami Hurricanes OC Rhett Lashlee likely candidate for Vanderbilt HC

Miami Hurricanes offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee is a likely candidate to become head coach at Vanderbilt.

Miami Hurricanes head coach Rhett Lashlee was a quarterback in high school and college in Arkansas has coached at SMU, Auburn and is in his first season with Miami. With Vanderbilt firing head coach Derek Mason on Sunday following an 0-8 season and 27-55 tenure, Lashlee would be a perfect candidate.

With contacts in Texas, throughout the SEC and now South Florida, Lashlee has the contact necessary to succeed in the SEC. Lashlee is one of the best young offensive minds in the country. The former Arkansas quarterback is one of the best young offensive minds in college football and a disciple of Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn.

Lashlee was a record-setting QB at Springdale High School in high school in Arkansas for Malzahn. After graduating from Arkansas, Lashlee spent one season as a graduate assistant under Malzahn with the Razorbacks. After two seasons out of coaching, Lashlee joined Malzahn when he was hired as offensive coordinator at Auburn.

Lashlee was a graduate assistant with the Tigers for two seasons under Malzahn. Auburn won the 2010 National Championship with Cam Newton at QB. After one season as the offensive coordinator and QB coach at Arkansas State under Malzahn, they returned to the plains in 2013.

Malzahn was hired as the head coach at Auburn and Lashlee was the Auburn offensive coordinator from 2013-2016. The years working for the Tigers would help Lashlee intimately as the head coach at Vanderbilt. Lashlee left for UConn where he spent the 2017 season and was at SMU in 2018-2019.

This is the first year for Lashlee at Miami. The contacts for Lashlee in Florida, the Southeast and Texas would be a perfect fit at Auburn. Lashlee has an impressive list of signees and recruits he is credited with via 247Sports. That includes 2021 Miami four-star commits tight end Elijah Arroyo and wide receiver Breshard Smith.

Lashlee is reportedly the only offensive coordinator on the early list for Vanderbilt. The Commodores would seem to be a better job than South Carolina which is also open in the SEC. The ability to succeed at Vanderbilt with lower expectations and far less pressure from their fanbase is a better first job for Lashlee.