SEATTLE — Washington’s busy offseason continued Tuesday with the program reportedly promoting defensive backs Jimmy Lake to defensive coordinator.
Lake will not only be the Huskies’ defensive coordinator but he will also call plays, according to FOX Sports’ Bruce Feldman.
Feldman tweeted Lake, who was the team’s co-defensive coordinator, had “big opportunities” on the table elsewhere. He said Pete Kwiatkowski, who has been UW’s defensive coordinator since 2014, will become the team’s co-defensive coordinator. Feldman added Lake’s promotion would not have happened without the “selflessness” of Kwiatkowski.
Lake, who spent the 2004 season at UW, has been a member of Chris Petersen’s staff since 2012 when they were at Boise State.
He came to UW with Petersen in 2014. Lake was the Huskies’ defensive backs coach for two seasons. In 2016, he was named the team’s co-defensive coordinator in addition to coaching defensive backs.
In Lake’s first year at UW, the secondary finished 123rd out of 128 teams against the pass. A season later, the Huskies were 68th.
Washington was 15th in defending the pass in 2016, the year it reached the College Football Playoff semifinal.
Lake helped the Huskies navigate injuries to cornerbacks Jordan Miller and Byron Murphy en route to finishing 10-3 along with reaching the school’s first-ever Fiesta Bowl.
Petersen’s staff began shifting in late November when then-offensive coordinator Jonathan Smith left to become the head coach at his alma mater, Oregon State.
Days later, UW announced it was hiring former assistant Bush Hamdan to replace Smith. Hamdan, who spent 2017 as the Atlanta Falcons’ quarterbacks coach, was going to join the team after the NFL season.
The program announced last week it was adding San Jose State defensive backs coach Will Harris as the staff’s 10th assistant coach.
Harris’ arrival was due in part to the NCAA approving the addition of a 10th coach last April. A 10th assistant will be allowed to work with players during games and practices while also being involved with recruiting.
UW said in a release Harris would work with the defensive backs. The 32-year-old former USC cornerback spent two seasons at SJSU. The Spartans finished 19th against the pass in 2016 and 51st in 2017.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
