Former Ferndale and University of Washington offensive lineman Geirean Hatchett has transferred to Oklahoma, departing from the Huskies’ program after four seasons and a CFP National Championship appearance.
With two years of eligibility remaining, Hatchett’s decision to become a Sooner hinged on two things, he said: location and development.
“I’ve been down there a ton, and I have a bunch of family down in the Oklahoma, Texas area as well,” Hatchett said. “Also really trusting and believing in [offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh’s] ability to be able to develop me and develop the rest of the guys to hopefully play in the NFL someday … it’s kind of a combination of those two things for me that made it really feel like it was the right decision to make.”
The University of Oklahoma was the first school to offer Hatchett during his high school recruiting process in 2017, and it remained one of his top schools throughout. Washington offered him shortly after, and he committed to the Huskies in July 2019.
Hatchett started four games at right guard for Washington last season and played in 12 of the Huskies’ 15 total games. He expects to make an immediate impact for Oklahoma, which is moving from the Big 12 conference to the SEC beginning in the 2024–25 season.
“They’re bringing me in because they want me to be able to come in and play right away,” Hatchett said. “But, like everything, you’ve got to earn everything. Nothing’s guaranteed, especially in the world of college football nowadays.”
Hatchett originally announced he was entering the transfer portal on Wednesday, Jan. 18, and his younger brother, Landen, joined him shortly after. Landen, a true freshman in 2023–24, has since announced he will be staying at Washington for his sophomore season.
This past season marked the first time both Hatchett brothers shared a football field since Landen was a freshman at Ferndale and Geirean was a senior.
“It’s definitely always difficult, especially since me and Landen are very close,” Geirean said. “I would love to play with him for many more years, but we’re just at different points in our careers. It just made sense for me to be able to make this transition by myself, and he understands that … we’re in a good spot with all that.”
Had Geirean opted to stay at Washington, he would have played under his third head coach in four seasons in Jedd Fisch, who was hired to replace Kalen DeBoer — now the head coach at the University of Alabama. Washington’s offensive line coach, Scott Huff, also was lured to Alabama.
Despite that, Geirean said the program’s recent shake-up following the national championship loss to the University of Michigan wasn’t a big factor in his decision.
“My UW career I would summarize as hectic, but fun,” Geirean said. “My decision to leave really didn’t have too much to play into all the craziness that’s gone on the last four years at UW.”
The turnaround is quick, as Geirean will be on a plane on Tuesday, Jan. 30, to Norman, Oklahoma — less than 24 hours after his announcement.
“I really felt good and truly believe that I’ll be able to be developed down there,” Geirean said. “Better than anywhere else in the country.”
Connor J. Benintendi is CDN’s sports editor; reach him at connorbenintendi@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
