Hatchett Ready to Start If Summoned Against Michigan State
On a first-quarter running play against Tulsa, someone yanked off Parker Brailsford's helmet and, practically before the plastic gold hat had stopped rolling on the artificial turf, Geirean Hatchett had taken his spot at right guard.
To say that Hatchett is ready to play, if not become a starter, anywhere across the University of Washington offensive line, would be an understatement.
"I've been preparing for the last four years to do that," Hatchett said. "I definitely think I'm ready."
While Brailsford left the field only because the rules dictated it for a displaced helmet and has become an anchor up front, Hatchett still could be summoned to start for the first time on Saturday at Michigan State if a line reshuffle takes place, which seems like a real possibility.
In the fourth quarter of the Tulsa game, Husky sixth-year senior center Matteo Mele hurt his hand or wrist, headed for the sideline clearly in pain and was immediately surrounded by team medical personnel. He sat on the bench alone for the longest time with his head down.
When that happened, Hatchett was summoned once more to replace Brailsford, a talented and precocious redshirt freshman who moved over one spot to take Mele's place over the ball, and those two played side by side the rest of the way in the Huskies' 43-10 victory.
Getting into position for steady playing time probably has taken a lot longer than the 6-foot-4, 303-pound Hatchett from Ferndale, Washington, ever envisioned when he arrived at the UW.
In 2020, he joined the Huskies as one of the most decorated offensive-line recruits in his class nationwide, pulling scholarship offers from the likes of Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas and countless others.
He's appeared in 15 career UW football games so far, including all 13 last year, after sitting out his first two seasons in Montlake to get acclimated with Jimmy Lake's program.
Trying to get Hatchett on the field in a more meaningful way in 2022, Kalen DeBoer's staff even used him as a blocking tight end in a handful of games.
This past spring, the Huskies auditioned Hatchett at offensive tackle, a position he'd never played before, not even as a schoolboy. This made him the only UW lineman prepared to play any position up front on game day. He's truly a fireman on call now, waiting for the next blaze that needs to be extinguished.
He's getting closer to pulling greater responsibility all the time, with a potential start on the road at Michigan State about as challenging as it gets. The fact that Mele has to handle the football on every play and injured a hand, wrist or arm does not bode well for that veteran player.
"I'm happy with the rotation right now," the hopeful and ready Hatchett said. "I'm getting reps in there, rotating in with the ones. It's a long season, so we'll see how it keeps going."
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