The Washington Commanders are adding a second coach from the college ranks with reports of an SEC staffer headed to the organization.
Days after announcing several additions to the coaching staff while announcing the hire of Daronte Jones and David Blough as the new coordinators, the Washington Commanders are working to hire another coach from the college ranks to its staff.
Pete Nakos of On3 reported on Friday evening that the Commanders are working to hire LSU safeties coach Jake Olsen to the staff. What role he would join with the Commanders is unclear with Tommy Donatell the current safeties coach and William Gay serving as cornerbacks coach, but he'd be another piece to a defensive staff looking to turn the page from an abysmal season under Joe Whitt Jr.
Olsen becomes the second college coach to join the Commanders staff this offseason after naming former USC co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Eric Henderson as Washington's new defensive line coach in 2026.
Olsen was retained by LSU after Lane Kiffin was announced as the program's new head coach, while he joined the Tigers ahead of the 2024 season after previously serving as the linebackers coach at Missouri. He was part of the Tigers staff that posted 11 wins and finished ninth nationally in 2023 where he developed Ty'Ron Hopper, a Butkus Award finalist and current linebacker with the Green Bay Packers. It marked his latest development of an NFL prospect with safety AJ Haulcy, who ended his one season at LSU named both a first-team All-SEC and All-American selection, set to head to the 2026 NFL Draft.
He first joined the LSU staff as an analyst in 2021 where he was among the coaches involved in the development of Damone Clark, now with the Dallas Cowboys. It was also when he served as an analyst with the linebackers where Olsen overlapped with Daronte Jones, current Commanders defensive coordinator who served in the same role at LSU in 2021.
During his four year stint at Northwestern State where he worked with the linebackers, safeties, outside linebacker and served as special teams coordinator in 2020, Olsen was named to the AFCA 35 under 35 in 2018 where he took part in the annual AFCA's Coaches Leadership Institute. He began his career at Valley City State in 2013 before moving onto Nicholls State in 2014, then a two year stint at Louisiana-Monroe as a graduate assistant working with both the safeties and defensive line.
Olsen becomes the latest defensive coach on staff after the Commanders made several moves official, including John Pagano coaching the outside linebackers, George Banko named assistant linebackers coach, Eric Henderson as defensive line coach and Darryl Tapp re-assigned to assistant defensive line coach.