Seahawks 'Very Fortunate' to Land Seasoned Veterans George Fant, Nick Harris

Previously playing in Seattle, the return of George Fant and Nick Harris to the Pacific Northwest should be a major boon for a young Seahawks offensive line.

December 29, 2019; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle George Fant (74) against San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa (97) during the fourth quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Joining the Seattle Seahawks as a first-time NFL coach on Mike Macdonald's staff, Scott Huff has limited prior ties to most of the players he will now be working with coaching up the offensive line.

For example, while he coached against starting right tackle Abraham Lucas and sixth-round pick Sataoa Laumea while at Washington in the now-defunct Pac-12 conference, the same can't be said for third-round pick Christian Haynes, who he developed an affinity for simply by being drawn to his physicality and playing style on film. He also never coached against or worked with incumbent starters Charles Cross and Anthony Bradford, who played at Mississippi State and LSU in the SEC.

In the process of getting to know his new group of players, including free agent additions Laken Tomlinson and Tremayne Anchrum, Huff will need time to get acclimated and learn what makes all of them tick starting with OTAs. But if there's a silver lining, two under the radar moves should help ease that adjustment period while providing much needed depth at center and tackle and mentorship for young players by reuniting him with seasoned veterans George Fant and Nick Harris.

Speaking with Dave "Softy" Mahler and Dick Fain on KJR 950 Seattle, Huff dove into his previous relationship with both players, starting with an interesting connection with Fant. Even though he never coached him previously, he met him through one of his mentors in long-time NFL line coach Howard Mudd, who spent time with him after he signed with the Seahawks as an undrafted rookie.

"When George first came to Seattle, he was working with Howard Mudd, so there was a handful occasions where George actually came over with Howard to the University of Washington," Huff explained. "And so I really kind of got to know him a little bit over there."

Playing significant snaps as a rookie despite limited football experience, George Fant has come a long way over the past eight seasons and now will return to the Seahawks as a key veteran presence. / Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Formerly a basketball player at Western Kentucky, Fant entered the NFL with minimal football experience, playing in just two games with one reception for the Hilltoppers as a fifth-year senior. A novice to the tackle position after signing with the team, the Seahawks linked him up with Mudd, who previously served as the offensive line coach for the franchise on two different occasions as part of an illustrious 36-year coaching career in the league.

Taking quickly to Mudd's tutelage, Fant wound up starting 10 games at left tackle as a rookie for the Seahawks and looked poised to be a potential long-term starting option. Unfortunately, he suffered a torn ACL during the preseason in 2017, which ultimately led to the team trading for All-Pro tackle Duane Brown at the trade deadline.

While Fant didn't see much action on the offensive line in his final two seasons in Seattle, he played extensive snaps as a pseudo tight end, logging almost 840 offensive snaps during that span. Pursuing a starting opportunity, he left to sign with the Jets in free agency before the 2020 season and over the past four seasons, he has started a total of 49 games, including 13 for the Texans last year, playing over 1,000 snaps at both tackle spots in that span.

Now a savvy veteran offering immense versatility and insight to pass onto Cross, Lucas, and the rest of his younger peers, Seattle wasted little time making a strong offer chocked full of incentives to bring Fant back to where his career began. Capable of playing at a high level at either tackle spot as well as contributing as a sixth lineman in certain packages, Huff views him as an excellent insurance policy who will make the entire offensive line group better by his sheer presence alone.

"Just fortunate enough that the personnel department got him back over here," Huff remarked. "He played a lot last year for Houston at right tackle. He's played the jumbo tight end position, he's played left tackle, so it's a guy that we just feel super, super lucky to have in the organization. We'll see at the end of the day how it all fits together, but you can't have enough of those guys that are smart, athletic, long and can play a lot of different spots, so we're really excited about George."

Aside from Fant, the Seahawks also shored up the interior of their offensive line by bringing Harris back to his old stomping grounds in the Pacific Northwest. A two-time All-Pac 12 selection at Washington, he emerged as one of the nation's best centers under Huff's watch, eventually landing with the Browns as a fifth-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Injuries proved to be problematic for Harris in Cleveland, including missing the entire 2022 season, costing him a prime opportunity to compete against former Seattle starter Ethan Pocic to take over as the new starter at the pivot position. But he took advantage of his most extensive playing time as a pro last year, allowing only three pressures and no sacks on 311 offensive snaps at center and right guard, showing his positional flexibility and skill keeping defenders away from the quarterback.

Signing with the Seahawks on a one-year deal, Harris will now compete against second-year center Olu Oluwatimi to replace departed former starter Evan Brown, who left for Arizona in March. The team will also have Mike Novitsky, an undrafted rookie out of Kansas, on the roster at the position.

While Oluwatimi likely will get the first crack at the job after playing 128 snaps as a rookie for Seattle in reserve duty, Harris' familiarity with Huff gives him an interesting feather in the cap that could have a significant impact on the competition. It's also possible he could get a look at guard, though both positions already have intense battles brewing between Tomlinson and Laumea on the left side and Bradford and Haynes on the right side.

Not taking too much credit for helping lure Harris back to Seattle, Huff didn't delve into specifics about where the former Husky standout may fit into the team's plans up front. But he couldn't be more excited to coach the player again and sees nothing but positives bringing him on board to bolster the competition and provide leadership in the interior leading up to the 2024 season.

"I don't want to act like I got power that I don't have. We're trying to get the best players we can. Nick was a guy that I'm obviously familiar with and his name came up and I'm like, wow, this is a great dude. He's a great player. It all worked out and we just again feel very fortunate to have him in the organization."