How UW Football Bottomed Out Under Jimmy Lake

Insiders offer a glimpse at the shortcomings that sent the program into a downturn.

As Kalen DeBoer continues to sweep up the mess, insiders tell how University of Washington football came apart at the seams this past season because former coach Jimmy Lake never really had a solid plan in place and gradually began to lose confidence in those around him long before the game-day losses began to pile up.

Lake's stubbornness and disorganization were cited as major flaws in his failed coaching tenure that lasted all of 13 games over two years before he was suspended and fired this past season.

While these particular revelations are not necessarily new, details attached to them by sources who asked to remain unidentified offer a revealing glimpse into the Montlake meltdown.

One-time supporters portrayed Lake as not unlike someone who strode into Husky Stadium as if it were a casino, convinced he had a fail-safe approach for winning but who actually relied on little more than hutzpah, and he proceeded to lose everything.

UW's big-money donors enthusiastically welcomed Lake for being Chris Petersen's loyal lieutenant and a ready replacement, but he soon had those same backers questioning him for his general lack of a back-up plan whenever one of his grandiose ideas didn't pan out.

Jimmy Lake's UW coaching career lasted just 13 games.  :: Joe Nicholson/USA TODAY Sports

Upon taking over, Lake was encouraged to clean house with his inherited staff more than he did — he jettisoned offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan and tight-ends coach Jordan Paopao — but against the advice of others he kept linebackers coach Bob Gregory out of friendship rather than try to put someone new in that job.

He had no previous personal relationship with John Donovan, who was quarterbacks coach for the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars when Lake hired him to become the Husky offensive coordinator. The two men didn't know each other at all. 

Lake had determined from the outset that he was going to run a pro-style offense that relied heavily on the run. He also declared that he was going to find an NFL guy to install it. This was harder to do than he thought. He hired Donovan with no other place to turn.

He previously pursued Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, a Washington state native from Prosser who gave the job a lot of consideration, but he turned it down once team owner Jerry Jones made a huge counter offer that effectively ended negotiations in Seattle. 

In this case, Lake and Moore were well acquainted. Lake arrived at Boise State as the defensive-backs coach the following season after Moore had completed a record-setting passing career for the Broncos. Had Moore been hired, Lake might still be coaching.

The failure to land Moore greatly flustered Lake, who thought he had a done deal but had to start his coaching search all over again. 

After a momentary flirtation with Rhett Lashlee, who passed on the Huskies to became the Miami offensive coordinator and is now the SMU head coach, Lake turned his attention back to the NFL.

He tried to hire Mike LaFleur, then the San Francisco 49ers passing-game coordinator and now the New York Jets offensive coordinator, but likewise was rejected. 

John Donovan lasted just 13 games as the UW offensive coordinator.  :: Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports

Well down his list of candidates, Lake was presented with the name of Donovan, who previously was fired at Penn State. Lake took a chance on him. It was like a blind date where everyone simply would get to know each other. Donovan assured the Husky leader he could give him whatever he wanted in a pro-style attack.

People right away chided Donovan's offense for its simplicity and lack of imagination during the pandemic season and this carried over into recruiting. Opposing schools openly mocked Donovan's limited offensive strategy, sending a strong message to prospective recruits. The beleaguered Husky offensive coordinator likewise proved to be an ineffective recruiter, unable to properly communicate his offensive playbook in a compelling fashion to prospects.

Highly rated Seattle- and Tacoma-area recruits on both sides of the ball, such as edge rusher J.T. Tuimoloau and wide receivers Emeka Egbuka and Gee Scott, blanched at this, didn't even give the UW more than a passing look and all ended up at Ohio State.

Yet recruiting was more of a widespread problem than that. Lake's UW staff responded slowly to pandemic restrictions put in place that now prohibited campus or in-home visits while other schools were ramping up zoom calls. Recruits complained that they didn't hear from Husky recruiters very often or at all.

Family members in Federal Way, Washington, for 4-star offensive tackle Malik Agbo, who recently chose Texas over Miami, Oklahoma and Auburn, still wonder why the Huskies didn't more actively pursue the coveted local lineman.

Four-star OL @malik_agbo picks #Texas pic.twitter.com/G6vuh3J12b

— Jon Manley (@manley_tnt) December 15, 2021

Following the shortened four-game 2020 season, multiple UW assistant coaches considered taking other jobs, according to the sources. In the end, only defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski left for Texas, but the others were concerned about the future.

Lake also chose to promote quality coaches such as Rip Rowan to defensive-line coach and Derham Cato to tight-end coach, and hired defensive-backs coach Terrence Brown with minimal experience, rather than pursue veteran coaching talent to fill openings. All might turn out to be successful coaches some day, but the UW still shouldn't be perceived as a starting place.

Once Kwiatkowski left, Lake couldn't easily find a replacement. He asked Gregory to fill the DC position and was turned down, according to insiders. Approached a second time after the job wasn't filled, Gregory reluctantly agreed to run the defense.

Little did Gregory know he would serve as the UW inside linebackers coach, the defensive coordinator and as interim coach all at once for nearly a month after Lake got in trouble for shoving a player during the Oregon game and was ousted.

For Lake, his lack of deep-dive organizational skills that made Don James a Husky football coaching legend, Petersen a more modern-day success and reportedly helped get DeBoer hired at the UW, brought about his coaching downfall. 

He should have vetted Donovan much more diligently. He needed to make Husky recruiting a higher priority in his operation. He wasn't readily aware that some of those around him had begun to question his leadership. 

As a result, Lake's program became deeply frayed around the edges. Montana's season-opening upset of the Huskies was a major red flag. This top 20 team in the preseason polls finished 4-8 without him on the sideline. 

Lake finds himself home for the holidays, with no team to coach let alone a bowl game to play in, trying to resurrect his career, obviously with a lot of stuff to second-guess.

Go to si.com/college/washington to read the latest Husky Maven stories as soon as they’re published.

Not all stories are posted on the fan sites.

Find Husky Maven on Facebook by searching: Husky Maven/Sports Illustrated

Follow Dan Raley of Husky Maven on Twitter: @DanRaley1 and @HuskyMaven