Washington fired Jimmy Lake after just two seasons with the team and will now be in the market for a new head coach. Here are five potential head coach candidates for the Washington Huskies.
1. Joe Moorhead
Joe Moorhead’s first chance at being a head coach at the FBS level didn’t go well. He was fired at Mississippi State after going 14-12 in two seasons. Moorhead has helped Oregon’s offense this season to put him back on the radar for a head coaching job. He also did wonders as Penn State’s offensive coordinator earlier in his career.
With Moorhead working for Oregon and building recruiting ties in the northwest, he should be a top candidate. He also can help a Washington team that really struggled offensively this season. On top of that, they can take him away from a rival. If Moorhead wants a head coaching job again, he may not have to move too far.
2. Jay Norvell
Norvell has helped turn Nevada around during his five seasons at the school. In his first year, the team went 3-9. The team progressed and in 2020 went 7-2, winning the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl at the end of the season. This season, the Wolf Pack currently have a 7-3 record and have some impressive wins. Over his full time at Nevada, Norvell has compiled a record of 32-25.
At Nevada, Norvell has helped revitalize the offense and he has produced a solid quarterback prospect in Carson Strong. That will help the lackluster offense. He has also had extensive experience coaching in the west and can use his recruiting ties. Norvell will be a hot name on the market and may have his choice of a few jobs when the coaching cycle comes around.
3. Kalen DeBoer
DeBoer is starting to come up as a popular candidate this cycle. He has spent just two seasons as a head coach at Fresno State and has posted an 11-6 record. The South Dakota native spent time as a head coach at Souix Falls, a Division II school that formerly played in the NAIA, earlier in his career. He has spent time as an assistant at Fresno State, Souix Falls, Indiana and Eastern Michigan.
Because of his early success at Fresno, DeBoer could get one of the many jobs out west this season. He has built recruiting ties during his time at Fresno State and on top of that has championship-winning experience at the NAIA level. If Washington can’t get one of their top candidates, DeBoer could still be successful for the Huskies.
4. Brent Brannen
At San Jose State, Brannen has some of the least amounts of resources to work within the FBS. He has turned around the program though, as they went 7-1 in 2020 and are 5-6 this season. In his first three seasons at the school, he won just eight games total. The turnaround has been significant.
He has demonstrated he can turn around a program with limited resources. If Brannen had the resources that Washington has, he could do even more. He has worked in the Pac-12 before, as a grad assistant at Washington and Arizona and as an offensive assistant at Oregon State. He’ll have the recruiting ties from the area and is a solid candidate.
5. Andy Avalos
Andy Avalos is just in his first season as a head coach, but he has done solidly at Boise State. He has them with a 6-4 record and competing in the Mountain Division of the conference. Avalos has previous experience in the conference at Colorado and Oregon. He has spent all of his coaching career out west.
Washington formerly hired Chirs Petersen from Boise State and it worked out. The difference is that they will have to pry Avalos from his alma mater. If they can, he is a good, young candidate who knows the area and the landscape of the conference. While he likely won’t be the first candidate on their list, they will definitely have Avalos on the radar.
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