Report: Washington AD meeting with top candidate to replace Jimmy Lake

Things are getting serious in the University of Washington’s search to replace former head coach Jimmy Lake. Athletics director Jen Cohen is meeting with Fresno State head coach Kalen DeBoer on Monday, according to ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura.

Action Network CFB reporter Brett McMurphy also confirmed that Washington received permission from Fresno State to interview their skipper.

Washington relieved former head coach Jimmy Lake of his duties in less than two full seasons. He had mediocre on-field results, a sideline incident with one of his players, and off-the-field media distractions. During the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Lake led the Huskies to a 7-6 record overall. 

Kalen DeBoer is in his second year as the head coach of the Bulldogs. He is 12-6 in his two seasons there, but also holds an overall record of 79-9, which includes four seasons from Sioux Falls.

DeBoer is coming off of a big win over San Jose State this weekend. His quarterback Jake Haener threw for 343 yards and four scores in the 40-9 victory.

Fresno State’s offense ranks No. 28 in the nation, averaging 33.6 points per game.

DeBoer graduated from the University of Sioux Falls in 1995 and took over at Washington High School in South Dakota. After two seasons, he started his college coaching career in as a wide receiver coach and has two stints as a head coach.

Washington approaching new record

Two schools looking for a new coach, Florida and Washington, are set to join Kansas atop a dubious Power 5 stat category: Most coaches this century.

The new hires for the Gators and Huskies will be the seventh coaches since the dawn of the 2000s at those schools. Kansas’ Lance Leipold, who was hired this past offseason, already is the seventh coach for the Jayhawks this century.

Thirteen other Power 5 schools have had six coaches this century. In addition, USC and Washington State will join that club when they fill their vacancies.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the SEC’s current membership collectively has had the most coaches in the 2000s, with 67. The Big Ten is second with 60, followed by the Pac-12 with 59, the ACC with 58 and the Big 12 with 41. (We’re not counting the to-be-hired guys at schools with vacancies, nor are we including Texas Tech’s Joey McGuire because he hasn’t coached a game there yet).

Going into this season, six Power 5 schools had had two or fewer coaches in the 2000s; interestingly, two of those, TCU and Virginia Tech, are in the midst of coaching searches. Only one Power 5 school has had just one coach this century, and that is Iowa with Kirk Ferentz.