BREAKING NEWS: Atlanta Falcons hire North Central High, Eastern Washington and ex-husky Head Coach as defensive coordinator

Based on staff reports.

Jimmy Lake has shown himself as a collegiate defensive coordinator.

He is now ready for an opportunity at the highest level.

Lake, a North Central High and Eastern Washington University graduate who began his coaching career as an assistant with the Eagles, was appointed as the Atlanta Falcons’ defensive coordinator on Monday.

Lake spent the previous year as the Los Angeles Rams’ associate head coach.

Lake previously worked as a defensive backs coach at EWU (200-03), the University of Washington (2004), and Montana State (2005) before moving on to the pros, where he had a similar position with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2006-07, 2010-11) and Detroit Lions (2008).

Lake eventually returned to Washington in 2014, rising to defensive coordinator by 2018. He took over as head coach of the Huskies after Chris Peterson resigned and supervised a turbulent two years, including the truncated Covid season, during which UW went 7-6 overall and he was fired for shoving a player.

Lake joins newly hired Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, who was the Rams’ defensive coordinator last season.