Jimmy Lake

James Paul Lake (born December 17, 1976) is an American football coach who is a senior defensive assistant for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). Previously, he was the head coach for the Washington Huskies from 2020 to 2021. Lake has coached at both the National Football League (NFL) and college football levels, primarily overseeing defensive backs. He played college football as a strong safety at Eastern Washington from 1995–1998.

Early life A military brat, Lake was born in Walnut Creek, California; his father served in the U.S. Air Force and the family lived in various locations, including overseas tours in Turkey and the Philippines. He attended North Central High School in Spokane, Washington, was a three-sport letterman for the Indians (football, basketball, and baseball), and was recognized as a scholar-athlete.

Lake played college football for Eastern Washington University in nearby Cheney as a strong safety from 1995 to 1998, where he was an honorable-mention All-Big Sky recipient, team captain, and named to the All-Big Sky Conference Academic Team. After graduating from Eastern Washington in 1999, Lake worked as a graduate assistant there during the spring before taking a full-time job with the Spokane Indians, a minor league baseball team, where he worked in ticket sales.

Los Angeles Rams (first stint) On February 16, 2023, Lake was hired as assistant head coach by the Los Angeles Rams.

Atlanta Falcons On January 29, 2024, Lake was hired to be the defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons. Lake followed head coach Raheem Morris to Atlanta having served on staff with him both with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Los Angeles Rams. On January 11, 2025, the Falcons announced that they had fired Lake after one season.

Los Angeles Rams (second stint) On February 25, 2025, Lake's return to the Rams was announced with the job title of senior defensive assistant.

Head coaching record