Will the Washington Huskies look to move on from Jimmy Lake as they continue to struggle with him guiding the program?
After another frustrating loss for the Washington Huskies, it’s worth wondering how much longer they’ll stick with Jimmy Lake as their head coach. Lake was handed a program that was successful and sustainable and now the Huskies are sitting at 4-5 on the season.
The record alone isn’t necessarily an issue, but it’s the way that Washington has arrived at this point. The Huskies started the year with a bad loss to Montana (an FCS team) and have now stumbled around to where there’s a good chance Washington won’t make a bowl game.
Saturday evening, in Washington’s loss to Oregon, Lake didn’t do himself or his team any favors when he decided to swat a player’s face mask and then shove the player after he turned around. That sort of action is completely uncalled for and will almost certainly make things awkward for the Huskies.
So, who should Washington consider to replace Lake? The Huskies need to take a look at the following possible candidates:
Washington football: 5 possible replacements for Huskies head coach Jimmy Lake
5. Joe Salave’a – Oregon Ducks associate head coach and co-defensive coordinator
If Washington wants to find some new ideas from someone who has experience coaching out west, Oregon Ducks co-defensive coordinator Joe Salave’a might not be a bad idea.
Salave’a wears many hats for the Ducks as, in addition to acting as Oregon’s co-defensive coordinator, he is also the associate head coach, run game coordinator, and defensive line coach. So, he’s pretty versatile and that might come in handy.
Salave’a has been with the Ducks since 2017 and has helped Oregon become a national power again during that timeframe. Currently, Oregon is 8-1 and is right in the midst of the College Football Playoff picture. The Ducks may not have the best defense in the country, but it’s holding opponents to 22.4 points per game and was good enough to beat Ohio State in Columbus.
Before coaching at Oregon, Salave’a was with Mike Leach as he was an assistant head coach and defensive line coach for the Cougars. He might not be the biggest name on this list, but Salave’a is worth considering if he wants to become a head coach.