Geirean Hatchett: "It's a Matter of Pride"

SEATTLE – On the day Chris Petersen was introduced as the head football coach at the University of Washington in early December 2013, he repeated two words – timing and fit – over and over.

Petersen referenced that UW was the ideal fit for him to leave Boise State after a dozen years combined as an assistant coach and head coach. It was time for him to make a move, too.

Fast forward to Saturday, December 2, 2017.

Petersen, who has never been shy about his conservative stance regarding offering high school players early in the recruiting process, hosted then sophomore offensive lineman Geirean Hatchett and his family in his office overlooking Husky Stadium.

It marked the fifth time that Hatchett had made an unofficial visit to the school. Just one week prior Hatchett had received his first scholarship offer from the University of Oklahoma during an unofficial visit.

Hatchett left Petersen’s office that Saturday with his second offer, one of 28 total scholarships the four-star Ferndale High School product received over the course of his recruitment.

Over the course of the next 18 to 24 months’ schools and coaches across the country, from Nick Saban at Alabama to Jim Harbaugh and Michigan, made their pitch.

On April 10, 2019 Hatchett announced his final five schools: Stanford, Notre Dame, Washington, Ohio State and Oklahoma. UW had only one OL commit for the 2020 recruiting class, three-star Middleton (Idaho) guard Gaard Memmelaar, at the time.

Just before the season opener against Eastern Washington, Hatchett announced his decision to stay home and play for Chris Petersen and the Huskies. It marked the end of a long recruitment for the four-star lineman, but there would still be a few more twists and turns along his journey.

Two games into his senior season Hatchett suffered a torn labrum that required surgery, which he chose to delay until after Ferndale had finished their season.

“My shoulder dislocated and tore the front and back of my labrum. So I braced it up for the rest of the season and played the season out on it,” Hatchett told TheDawgReport.com.

His parents, along with both Petersen and UW OL coach Scott Huff supported Hatchett’s decision to continue playing through his injury. Hatchett thought through whether to get surgery immediately, which would have allowed him to be a full participant this spring once he enrolls in March.

He made a calculated decision to postpone the operation.

“Thinking back on it, I was really glad I decided to play the rest of my season,” he said. “It was my last time getting to play up here in Ferndale. I grew up playing up here so I was really glad to continue to play and happy with the decision I made.”

Hatchett is one of three four-star OL prospects to sign with UW in the 2020 class. The other two, Myles Murao and Roger Rosengarten, are both ranked in Rivals150 while Hatchett is not.

Both play a higher caliber of competition at Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California) and Valor Christian High School (Highlands Ranch, Colorado) respectively.

Hatchett traveled to visit Rosengarten and watch him play against another elite lineman, Andrew Gentry and Columbine HS on November 22.

“It was really cool,” Hatchett said. “He definitely plays a little higher level than I’m used to here in Ferndale. Just being the 5A school in Colorado that’s their biggest division.”

While the level of competition might not be similar among the three linemen, Hatchett grew up with a sense of pride that can’t be replicated.

“It definitely means a lot. Like you said it’s not a huge school like Mater Dei or Valor Christian like Roger and Myles play at,” he said. “But definitely lots of pride up in Ferndale. Our school motto is ‘it’s a matter of pride’ so it was really fun to grow up in a small community like this.

“We’re kind of well know in the state for being a football community. So it was really exciting to get to grow up watching – I have a neighbor that was a senior when I was a freshman. So I got to watch him all four years and played with him my freshman year.

“Growing up watching guys like that play on the field when I’m a little kid just dreaming of getting out there was really fun. So getting to play in a community like this where the stands are packed, the track is packed every Friday night. The town’s shut down just to come watch the football game. It was a great experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything.”

That sense of staying true to who he is allowed Hatchett to have no second thoughts about his pledge to UW when Petersen announced on December 2, 2019 – two years to the date exactly that Hatchett received his offer from the Huskies – that he was resigning as head coach.

Later that Monday, Huff and now-head coach Jimmy Lake made an in-home visit to quell any potential concerns. Petersen also spoke with Hatchett that afternoon.

“It meant a lot to me. Me and coach Pete had a really good relationship throughout the whole recruiting process,” he said.

“The conversation with him, for me, it was really good. He just let me know why he was doing it. He was just kind of worn out. Wanted a little break and felt that coach Lake was the right guy for the job and he would bring the energy and all that, which made me feel really good.”

Hatchett will enroll in March at UW and participate in footwork drills during spring practices.