Eighteen years before Michael Penix Jr. quarterbacked the University of Washington football team to its first College Football Playoff National Championship game, former Ferndale signal-caller Jake Locker led the Huskies’ program into a new, hopeful era.
The hype around “Montlake Jake,” both locally and state-wide, had a trickle-down effect. Washington’s team playing for a national title on Monday, Jan. 8 against top-ranked Michigan includes three former Ferndale stars: offensive linemen Geirean and Landen Hatchett and defensive lineman Jake Mason.
“[Jake Locker] is a huge [Washington] legend, how he turned the program around and all that,” said freshman offensive lineman Landen Hatchett, who followed his brother Geirean to the Huskies. “You kind of grow up being a [UW] fan just off that.”
Locker went on to be picked No. 8 overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2011 NFL Draft. Since moving back to Whatcom County following his retirement in 2014, Locker has been a resource for up-and-coming stars of the sport in his hometown.
Geirean, a sophomore, is in his fourth season with the team as a result of COVID-extended eligibility. He made five starts at right guard for the undefeated Huskies this season.
Mason, a freshman who chose preferred walk-on status at Washington over scholarship offers to Eastern Washington University and Portland State University, is the third former Ferndale star currently on the team.
Locker mentored the three of them when they needed it, and still does, said Jana Hatchett, Geirean and Landen’s mother. Being able to talk with someone who has been on the biggest stage was a huge advantage for the trio, and Locker was always willing to assist.
“Even during my recruiting journey, I was struggling with knowing where to go, and I sat down and had lunch with [Locker] and he kind of helped me through that kind of stuff,” Mason said.
Now, even though Geirean is the only one who may see playing time in the national title game, Locker couldn’t be more ecstatic.
“They’re getting to experience what very few of us get to, and man, I’m crazy thrilled for them in that way,” said Locker, who served as a Ferndale assistant coach after his retirement. “I know those guys’ hearts and know who they are and what they’re about. I’m really thankful for that, above all.”
Paying it forward
Growing up, playing for Ferndale was what Locker dreamed of, as it was all he had ever known.
“I can remember getting to high school and getting to go out on the field and I thought, ‘Man, this is as good as it gets,’” Locker said.
Locker never even attended a UW football game until he began getting recruited. He chose the Huskies because it was the closest university to home where he could play Power Five college football, he said. His family being able to attend games was the most attractive aspect a school could offer.
It worked out: Beloved by fans for his dedication — including sticking with the Huskies after a winless 2008 season under coach Tyrone Willingham — Locker was inducted into the UW Hall of Fame in 2021.
But, without realizing it then, the example Locker set shaped an upcoming generation of Ferndale football fans and players.
“We became a Jake Locker fan and thus, you know, a heavy UW fan because of being part of that community,” Jana Hatchett said. “[Locker] has been a huge part of their life.”
Landen said the most crucial thing he learned from Locker was how to keep a level head in high-pressure situations — something that benefited him when he got his first game action as a true freshman against Michigan State on Sept. 16, 2023.
Landen was also named Washington’s Travis Spring Most Outstanding Freshman on Dec. 3, 2023
But seeing the field wasn’t even the top moment from that game for Landen. For the first time since he was a freshman in high school, he was lined up alongside his brother, Geirean.
“When I’m playing next to my brother, I feel comfortable,” Landen said. “We are able to communicate well, play well together. It’s just nice having people around that you’ve spent your whole life with.”
The brothers, directly and indirectly influenced by those who came before them, now have a chance to share a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
On to the national championship
Landen chose to attend UW because he believed what Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer was building within the program, both culturally and competitively.
DeBoer is the second head coach Geirean has played under, as he was originally recruited to play under Chris Petersen, who retired in 2019. Jimmy Lake coached the team from 2020–21, and DeBoer was hired ahead of the 2022–23 season.
The former Ferndale trio is seeing their trust in new coaches pay off.
“I had seen what this staff can do, and I knew that they can make it this far,” Landen said. “DeBoer has proven himself to be one of the best, if not the best, coach in the country.”
For Mason, Saturday’s CFP semifinal versus No. 3 Texas was the first time he got to travel with the team; he will also head to Houston for Monday’s national title game. After fighting to improve in practice all season, often against the team’s starters, it’s been a welcome change.
“I believe truly that everyone has a role in this team’s success,” Mason said. “I’ve grown so much as a person and a player. I’ve got to connect with some of the best people in the world.”
From a mother’s perspective, Jana Hatchett said she can hardly believe her two sons are a part of the first Husky football team to reach a national championship game since 1991.
“We’re just so excited for them to be able to be part of this whole thing and to say they were a part of this team,” Jana Hatchett said. “You know, 20 years from now or whatever, how cool is that going to be for them?’”
For Locker, it’s a full-circle moment.
“I got the opportunity to coach all those guys in high school,” Locker said. “So to watch them mature and go from, you know, freshman in high school to seniors and get the opportunity to go on and play [in a national championship], man, I’m just thankful.”
Three other players from Whatcom County are also on the current UW roster: freshman defensive lineman Habib Bello from Sehome, freshman punter Troy Petz from Lynden and junior kicker Addison Schrock from Squalicum.
Bello and Petz were both preferred walk-ons, like Mason, and will travel with the team to the national championship game.
