Thanks to the Valentine's Day departure of Jim Leavitt, Washington defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake was already the highest-paid assistant in the Pac-12. The 42-year-old signed a 3-year deal in 2018 that paid him $1.1 million a year for three years (Leavitt made $1.7 million at Oregon).
That was a sharp increase from the $650,000 Lake made as a co-defensive coordinator in 2017, but Pete Kwitakowski ceded play-calling responsibilities to Lake, which necessitated a hefty raise.
And now, after a season in which the Huskies won their second Pac-12 championship in three years and played in their first Rose Bowl since the 2000 season, Lake has signed a new 3-year contract.
According to Christian Caple of The Athletic, Lake will receive a bump to $1.4 million in 2019, $1.5 million in 2020 and $1.7 million in '21. Such a raise will push Lake to the cusp of the top 10 nationally among assistant coaches.
Kwiatkowksi, one of the highest-paid co-coordinators and linebackers coaches in the nation, is in the midst of a 3-year deal that will pay him $950,000 this fall and $1 million in 2020. Offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan is also in Year 2 of a 3-year deal and will earn $750,000 this year.
The rest of the staff was up for contract extensions, which breaks out as follows, according to The Athletic:
* - Matt Lubick was Washington's co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach in 2018
Lake has been on Chris Petersen's staff since 2012, dating back to the Boise State days. He previously served as the defensive backs coach for the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before joining Petersen. An Eastern Washington graduate, Lake was also the defensive backs coach on Keith Gilbertson's Washington staff for the 2004 campaign. That Huskies team went 1-10 and was swept out for Tyrone Willingham.
The 28-year-old defensive backs coach for that 2004 squad is now easily the highest-paid assistant in Washington history and, evidenced by his three raises in as many seasons, the future of Husky football.
Read the full report here.