LaMarr Fields’ Top 5 Washington Coach Candidates

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Posted on November 18, 2021


  By LaMarr Fields, SuperWest Sports

Having fired Jimmy Lake on the back end of a 4-6 record, the Huskies are in the market for a new head coach to take over for Bob Gregory when his tenure as interim coach expires.

Lake coached 13 games, going 7-6, and that was just part of his troubles.

The former UW defensive coordinator imploded during rivalry week, questioning the academic prowess of the University of Oregon, and striking one of his own players on the sideline in view of a national television audience.

The stage seemed set for Washington to fire Lake for cause following a suspension, but the young coach got the last laugh, walking away with his roughly $9.9 million buyout. And don’t be surprised if he lands a coveted DC gig as early as next season.

The Huskies, meanwhile, find themselves in a precarious position, needing to land a viable coach in a competitive market to keep from backsliding into something akin to the Tyrone Willingham Era.

The good news is that Washington is widely viewed as one of the top programs in the West, and should land on its feet, provided athletic director Jen Cohen makes the right choice.

Here are my Top Five candidates, ranked in reverse order from the least to most likely, with as list of additional possibilities at the end. (You may also be interested in my column on the Top 5 Coach Candidates for USC.)

5. Kellen Moore, Dallas Cowboys Offensive Coordinator

Dallas Cowboys OC Kellen Moore| Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Kellen Moore could be a bit of a reach, but he is a rising star in the NFL after what he has done with the Dallas Cowboys offense.

With Washington struggling on that side of the ball, Moore would bring a proven offensive approach. As an added bonus, he’s a product of former Husky head coach and current advisor Chris Petersen at Boise State, and shares a similar philosophy.

But Moore doesn’t have any head coaching experience, and that could be perceived as too big of a risk, given the situation in Montlake. Several other programs will be after him as well.

4. Joe Moorhead, Oregon Offensive Coordinator

Joe Moorhead has prior head coaching experience at Fordham and Mississippi State, where he posted a combined 52-25 record.

As a coordinator, Moorhead has done a good job of putting new life into the Oregon offense. His trademark has as a coordinator at Penn State and elsewhere been adapting his scheme to fit his players, as he has done with Duck quarterback Anthony Brown.

Moorhead will be looking for another opportunity to prove himself as a head coach, but Oregon’s participation in a New Year’s Six Bowl could delay the process. And like Moore, he will be sought after by other schools.

3. Jay Norvell, Nevada Head Coach

Nevada head coach Jay Norvell | Alan Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

With his coaching experience, Jay Norvell would be an excellent hire for Washington.

Norvell boasts six years experience in the NFL and 22 additional years at Power 5 schools. He has logged a 32-25 record in Reno, and has the Wolfpack bowl-eligible for a fourth-straight season.

Known as an excellent offensive mind, Norvell has helped develop a solid NFL Draft prospect in quarterback Charlie Strong in a passing game ranked fourth in the nation in yards through the air.

His name has been mentioned in relation to Washington State’s opening as well.

2. Kalen DeBoer, Fresno State Head Coach

Fresno State head coach Kalen DeBoer | David Becker/Getty Images

In two years as head coach of Fresno State, Kalen DeBoer has compiled a record of 11-6, and is widely considered an up-and-coming Power 5 coaching candidate.

DeBoer spent five years as the head coach at Souix Falls, then an NAIA school, where he lead the Cougars to four National Title appearances from 2006-2009, winning three.

He has an impressive overall record of 78-9 in his seven years as a head coach, including three undefeated seasons, and a dramatic upset of UCLA this season with Jake Haener at quarterback.

DeBoer checks all the boxes of a proven winner, and would be an excellent hire for the Huskies, if they can land him.

1. Brent Brennen, San Jose State Head Coach

San Jose State head coach Brent Brennen | Mountain West Wire

Brent Brennen did an outstanding job of turning around the San Jose State program last year, coaching the Spartans to a 7-1 record, a Mountain West title, and a No. 24 AP final ranking, despite the pandemic.

He has ties to the Pac-12, having worked as a graduate assistant under Rick Neuheisel at Washington in 1999, and as an assistant at Oregon State from 2011-16.

This year San Jose State is struggling at 5-6, but Brennen will still be a hot coaching candidate, having posted a 17-14 mark the past three years with limited resources.

With the abundance of resources he would have at Washington, he should thrive far beyond what he has accomplished in transforming a middling Spartan program.

Other potential candidates, in no particular order:

• Jeff Grimes, Baylor offensive coordinator: Dennis Dodd lauds him for having engineered back-to-back spectacular years at BYU and Baylor.

• Justin Wilcox, Cal head coach: Max Vrooman of Dawgman notes that he spent time at Washington and has recruited the West Coast for the better part of the last one and a half decades.

• Troy Calhoun, head coach, Air Force: He has compiled a 108-57 record since 2007, but as Steve Lassan of Athlon Sports points out, there’s no indication that he would leave the Academy for Washington.

• Andy Avalos, Boise State head coach: Washington did well with its last Broncos hire, and Joe DiTullio of the Game Haus notes that while he likely won’t be the Dawgs’ first choice, they will definitely have Avalos on the radar.

• Jonathan Smith, Oregon State head coach: Riley Gates of 247Sports aptly suggests that getting it done in Corvallis is a good indication that he could work wonders at Washington, where he once served as offensive coordinator.

• Chip Kelly, UCLA head coach: A long shot in the eyes of most prognosticators, Bruce Feldman of the Athletic and FOX Sports considers him a wildcard candidate, given his offensive prowess and Washington’s current lack thereof.

—More from LaMarr Fields—