Jimmy Lake needs to be very careful, because everything Chris Petersen built is at risk. Not only did Petersen recruit and build a perennial powerhouse that could threaten for the College Football Playoff year in and year out, but he left at the worst time. I’m not faulting Petersen for walking away when he did. If he felt that his heart wasn’t in it, and he trusted Lake to captain to what he built? That’s all well and good. I respect his decision, but that ship Lake took over is sinking fast.

I wrote about the amount of NFL talent on this Husky team early on in the off-season, and that didn’t disappear. But if there’s one thing that kills NFL talent, it’s scheme, and especially on the offensive side of the ball, that scheme has failed. Lake talked about wanting to run an “attacking” and “aggressive” offense, but offensive coordinator John Donovan’s plan has been anything but that.

Yes, sure, the run defense also has a lot of room for improvement, but if the offense could keep pace with anyone, opposing offenses would be forced to test the nation’s best cornerback duo of Trent McDuffie and Kyler Gordon.

This season, the Huskies have already been blown out by Michigan on national television and lost to an FCS school while ranked in the AP top 20. The offense has taken a major step back, and the offensive line, which was supposed to be a strength of the team, has become its biggest weakness. With the talent along the front, and what they showed is possible when everything is clicking in 2020, makes some question the scheme even more.

Especially during the 2018, 2019, and 2020 recruiting cycles, after getting a taste of what it’s like to compete in three straight New Year’s Six bowl games, Petersen stepped up his game on the recruiting trail. He put in the work necessary to secure a top 20 class nationally, and the guys out there right now are his prized recruits from those years. The current coaching staff can’t waste the precious time they have with them.

And last but not least, the Huskies need to look south. After a step back after Chip Kelly left, the Nike machine at Oregon is back. They’re putting together elite recruiting classes, and combining them with a high-end offensive coordinator in Joe Moorhead. After losing multiple players to Oregon that were either committed to, or leaning towards Washington, the staff needs to take a long look in the mirror. They know if they want to compete for the Pac-12 North championship every year, that’s who they have to beat.

A good model to look at for what kind of team Lake should try to build is the 2019 LSU Tigers. Sam Huard can be Washington’s Joe Burrow, and they have the talent on offense and defense to compete with anyone. But what do they need to truly compete on that level, is install a modern offensive scheme. One that allows the team’s best players to operate in space, not in bunches that are easy to defend. Guys like former LSU coordinator Joe Brady are out there itching for an opportunity to prove themselves. It’s up to Lake to go out and find them to get this ship back sailing in the right direction, especially with the recruits that are next up in the state of Washington.