Division I · Atlantic Coast Conference
Southern Methodist University Football
Dallas, TX · the Mustangs · Southern Methodist University overview
122
Roster
17 over the D-I cap of 105
$45M
Team budget
86th percentile in Division I
$371,439
Per roster spot
median $79,762
11
Coaches
1 head · 10 assistant
974
APR
97% of players retained
61%
Admitted
upper half for selectivity
Southern Methodist University fields a football team in the Atlantic Coast Conference (NCAA Division I). In 2024–25 the roster carried 122 players, about the median of 119, with 1 head coach and 10 assistants. Team expenses were $45,315,587, well above the median of $9.1M — $371,439 per roster spot, top quarter of Division I football programs. Under the Division I roster cap of 105 in force from 2025-26, that is 17 over — cuts or attrition are likely, though players already on the roster may stay (230 of 261 Division I programs carried more than the cap). The team's multi-year Academic Progress Rate is 974, about the median of 964, with 97% of players retained year to year. The school gave $14,048,800 in athletic aid across its men's teams, about $60,817 per roster spot.
Among Division I football programs
Where this program sits against its 261 peers (percentile; the tick is the median).
#38Team budgetof 261 · Division I#39Spend per playerof 261 · Division I#93Roster sizeof 261 · Division I#76APRof 261 · Division I
Team budgets across the division
this programevery Division I football program
Roster sizes (cap 105)
this programevery Division I roster
The program
- Roster122 2024–25 season
- Division I roster cap105 17 over last season
- Coaching staff1 head, 10 assistant
- Team expenses$45,315,587 for the year
- Operating expenses$6,191,113 game-day and travel
- Spend per roster spot$371,439 division median $79,762
- Academic Progress Rate974 multi-year; 982 latest
- Players retained97% year to year
- Eligible98% of player-terms
- Athletic aid, men's teams$14,048,800 school-wide
- Aid per roster spot$60,817 across men's teams
- Recruiting spend, men's$2,392,459 school-wide
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Rhett Lashlee head coach | Head Coach | not on file |
Put Southern Methodist University on a target list, address the whole staff at once, and send each email yourself from Gmail — nothing goes out without you pressing Send.Start your board
Recruiting timing
- Coaches may first contact youSeptember 1 of junior year
- Your own emailsAny time the rule limits what coaches send back
- High-school football players1,029,588 2024-25
- Division I roster spots31,184 261 programs
- Odds of a spot1 in 33 3.0% of high-school players hold a Division I roster spot
General NCAA rule for Division I; the football recruiting guide has the date for each grad year, the eligibility checklist and what to put in a first email.
About the school
What an athlete asks first — each panel opens the full picture.Campus
Full picture →7,115undergraduates · 11,842 students in all
Women 50% Men 50%
- Setting
- Suburb
- Type
- Private · Research university
- Affiliation
- United Methodist
Getting in
Full picture →61%admitted · of 15,092 applicants
SAT middle 50%1320 – 1480
ACT middle 50%30 – 34
- Test scores
- Test-optional
- Graduate in 6 yrs
- 83%
Football
Full picture →122on the roster · 2024–25 season
Roster vs the D-I cap of 105122
17 over — players already on the roster may stay
Academic Progress Rate974
97% of players kept year to year
- Team expenses
- $45,315,587 $371,439 per roster spot · top quarter of Division I
- Coaches
- 1 head · 10 assistant
- Athletic aid, men's teams
- $14,048,800
- Recruiting spend, men's
- $2,392,459
Cost
Full picture →$45,792net price · after grants, aided first-years
Net price by family income
- Tuition & fees
- $64,460
Campus safety
Full picture →0.69violent offences per 1,000 · students a year, 2022–2024
- In residence halls
- 7 burglaries · 19 sex offences over 2022–2024
- Residence-hall fires
- 17 over 2022–2024
Majors
Full picture →28%of bachelor's degrees in business · 23 fields · Bachelor's, Doctorate, Master's
Research Southern Methodist University
School pages built around what an athlete needs to know — the program's money and roster room, admissions fit, what a family really pays, majors, campus life and safety.
Football program122 on the rosterPeers, percentiles, nearby programs, comparisonsRankingsWhere it standsEvery list this school is on, nationally and in its divisionAdmissions61% admittedSAT/ACT ladders, test policy, graduationCost & aid$45,792 net priceSticker vs net price by family income, athletic aidMajorsBusiness · 28%Every field and program with degrees awardedCampusSuburb · 7,115Setting, who is on campus, housing costs, servicesCampus safety0.69 violent / 1,000Three years of reported offences against the divisionAthleticsEvery teamThe whole department: every team, staff and aid
Football programs within 150 miles
| School | Miles | Roster | Budget | APR | Admitted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of North Texas Division I · American Conference | 33 | 165 | $15M | 961 | 72% | |
| Texas Christian University Division I · Big 12 Conference | 35 | 130 | $60M | 959 | 43% | |
| Austin College Division III · Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference | 57 | 100 | $704k | — | 47% | |
| East Texas A&M University Division I · Southland Conference | 58 | 125 | $5.2M | — | 93% | |
| Southeastern Oklahoma State University Division II · Great American Conference | 84 | 126 | $1.5M | — | 80% | |
| Baylor University Division I · Big 12 Conference | 92 | 118 | $41M | 974 | 51% | |
| Tarleton State University Division I · United Athletic Conference | 94 | 128 | $8.8M | — | 94% | |
| Midwestern State University Division II · Lone Star Conference | 123 | 140 | $1.5M | — | 87% | |
| University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Division III · American Southwest Conference | 129 | 167 | $1.5M | — | 95% | |
| East Central University Division II · Great American Conference | 133 | 154 | $1.5M | — | 66% | |
| East Texas Baptist University Division III · American Southwest Conference | 141 | 167 | $814k | — | 60% | |
| Howard Payne University Division III · American Southwest Conference | 150 | 135 | $779k | — | 68% |
Other football programs in the Atlantic Coast Conference
| School | Roster | Budget | Per player | APR | Compare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Miami (Florida) 22 over cap | 127 | $88M | $693,842 | 973 | vs | |
| Florida State University 19 over cap | 124 | $83M | $671,515 | 942 | vs | |
| Clemson University 32 over cap | 137 | $81M | $592,238 | 993 | vs | |
| University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 18 over cap | 123 | $49M | $399,558 | 959 | vs | |
| Duke University 16 over cap | 121 | $47M | $391,434 | 986 | vs | |
| University of Pittsburgh 13 over cap | 118 | $47M | $399,506 | 988 | vs | |
| University of California, Berkeley 15 over cap | 120 | $47M | $389,349 | 977 | vs | |
| Southern Methodist University 17 over cap | 122 | $45M | $371,439 | 974 | vs | |
| Georgia Institute of Technology 15 over cap | 120 | $43M | $355,912 | 978 | vs | |
| Syracuse University 19 over cap | 124 | $42M | $339,435 | 965 | vs | |
| Boston College 43 over cap | 148 | $41M | $278,545 | 989 | vs | |
| North Carolina State University 20 over cap | 125 | $41M | $324,282 | 962 | vs | |
| Wake Forest University 25 over cap | 130 | $39M | $303,076 | 990 | vs | |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 19 over cap | 124 | $38M | $304,870 | 958 | vs | |
| Stanford University 5 over cap | 110 | $36M | $327,200 | 990 | vs | |
| University of Virginia 22 over cap | 127 | $34M | $264,659 | 972 | vs | |
| University of Louisville 15 over cap | 120 | $31M | $256,209 | 984 | vs |
Every Atlantic Coast Conference football program · Football budgets ranked