Casey Woods received two vital pieces of advice from longtime friend SMU's Rhett Lashlee
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SPRINGFIELD — Longtime friends Casey Woods and Rhett Lashlee will go toe-to-toe on Saturday, Sept. 26.
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In his weekly press conference, Missouri State’s Woods wanted to make sure this week was not about him. It’s hard to avoid the elephant in the room when it comes to this matchup.
Woods spent four seasons with the Mustangs, his last stop before becoming a head coach with the Bears. But Woods's relationship goes much further with Lashlee, who is his best friend in the industry.
The pair worked together at Auburn under Gus Malzahn, along with Mizzou head coach Eli Drinkwitz. The coaching staff helped the Tigers win the 2010 national title.
It’s safe to say that Woods and Lashlee know each other quite well. Even their wives are close friends.
When Woods accepted the job at Missouri State, he received two pieces of advice from Lashlee that he thinks about daily.
“Hire your you,” Woods said. “His reference was that I was a super loyal guy to him outside of just being his offensive coordinator. Hire someone that you fully trust, that is fully loyal to you.”
It’s been evident that Woods’ coaching staff has been lockstep with their fearless leader. Mark Cala, offensive coordinator, and defensive coordinator Jack Curtis have already played pivotal roles in kicking off the Woods era.
Lashlee’s second piece of advice may be the most important to Woods, though.
“It was just to be you,” Woods said. “It’s a good reminder in anything. Don’t go out and be somebody that is different.”
Woods shared that he’s already called Lashlee for more advice in his nine months on the job. This weekend, the two best friends will face off in Dallas. Missouri State against No. 22 SMU at 8 p.m.
Liam Keating covers high school sports and Missouri State athletics for The Springfield News-Leader. Send stats or information to him at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Casey Woods received two vital pieces of advice from longtime friend SMU's Rhett Lashlee