UW Huskies’ offensive line looking to re-create the 2023 glory days
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Washington offensive lineman Landen Hatchett, left, awaits his turn for a drill during training camp Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025 at the Dempsey Indoor Center on UW campus in Seattle. (Kevin Clark / The Seattle Times)
By Sophia Vesely Seattle Times staff reporter
Starting center Landen Hatchett has experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows as a member of UW’s offensive line.
He was a freshman when the unit won the 2023 Joe Moore Award for the nation’s best O-line, before enduring the worst performance by a Big Ten offensive line in 2024. The Huskies surrendered 39 sacks last year, more than any team in the conference, allowing an average of three sacks per game, which tied with Michigan State for worst in the conference.
Hatchett seems confident this year’s group is trending more in the direction of the 2023 group.
“(In 2023,) you saw the top of the top, and then last year, we didn’t play as well as we wanted to, and just the transition into this year has been night and day,” the 6-2, 315-pound junior said after Thursday’s indoor practice. “The young guys have come in and picked up the playbook. (They are) really physical, big guys who can play well. It’s nice to have my brother back as well as adding Carver (Willis), just a couple guys with experience in a college locker room and offensive line.”
Willis, UW’s senior left tackle, transferred in January after five years at Kansas State. Starting 11 games at right tackle, he helped K-State surrender only 13 sacks last season, its fewest since 2000. The Wildcats had an average of one sack allowed per game, which ranked 10th nationally.
The 6-5, 291-pound lineman also helped K-State to a school record 6.08 rushing yards per carry, which ranked second nationally.
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Geirean Hatchett, Landen’s older brother, is a right guard who transferred back to UW for his senior year after spending the 2024 season at Oklahoma. He was a key member of the unit that won the Joe Moore Award, playing in the first eight games of the season before suffering an injury. Geirean returned after three games, helping win the 2023 Pac-12 Championship Game and the Sugar Bowl.
“We were separated for a year, but having him back has been huge,” Landen said about his 6-4, 306-pound older brother. “Honestly, we have those brotherly arguments here and there about little things that don’t matter, but that’s just part of it. He’s also my roommate, so we get to spend time at home together. He’s just a guy I can lean on, and he can lean on me a little bit. We’re just pillars for each other a little bit.”
Geirean might be Landen’s actual brother, but Landen says the entire offensive line feels like “a brotherhood,” despite their limited time together.
“We are all really tight,” Landen added.
The promotion of Michael Switzer to offensive line coach might be another reason for higher hopes in 2025. Switzer, who came over from Arizona with UW coach Jedd Fisch after the 2023 season, served as senior offensive analyst last year.
Switzer is adamant on putting last season’s performance in the distant past.
“They’ve taken it really seriously,” Switzer said about the offensive linemen. “I’ve challenged them relentlessly, and I haven’t let up and I’m not going to. Those guys have taken it personally. What we did last year just wasn’t what we wanted to do, and the guys feel that. It’s really driving them to do something different.”
He is impressed with the group’s progress so far, but he knows that regular-season play will add an entirely new challenge that they must be prepared for.
“The physicality, the attention to detail and just consistency with just whatever our responsibility is on any given play,” Switzer said about his points of improvement this season. “We want to run off the ball, (and) we want to do it physically. We want to be great communicators, and I think we’ve shown in camp thus far that we are going to be able to do that, but we need to do it in games versus other opponents. We can do it out here, and that’s great, but we need to do it during the season.”
Junior Drew Azzopardi returns to starting right tackle, while redshirt freshman Paki Finau and true freshman John Mills are currently splitting time at starting left guard.
Switzer is taking his time to sort out the depth chart.
“We’ve still got a lot of camp left, so in terms of depth, we are going to keep moving guys here and there,” Switzer said. “Guys are going to get chances with the (starting line) and maybe flip sides, to maybe see some reps at different positions. By no means are we ready to sit there and say we’ve got this in terms of starters.”
Both Finau and Mills could be promising in the starting lineup.
Finau, who is 6-5 and 310 pounds, saw action the first three games of last season and again in the Sun Bowl. Mills, 6-6 and 320 pounds, earned First Team All-State honors after leading St. Ignatius College Prep to the state championship semifinals last year.
“Mills is a little bit of a bigger body, a little bit more powerful in the run game,” Switzer said, weighing their differing strengths. “Paki has experience in terms of being here, being in the system a little bit longer (and) natural athleticism in terms of some of the wide zone stuff. Both have unique things they are better at, but both are doing a really nice job.”
Extra Points
— Senior CB Tacario Davis had some highlight reel moments during scrimmage play Thursday. The Arizona transfer broke up a 30-yard pass by sophomore QB Demond Williams Jr. He later broke up another pass by Williams, swatting the ball to the ground before taking a step over his opponent and crossing his arms for a celebratory pose.
— Freshman CB Dylan Robinson intercepted a pass thrown to freshman WR Dezmen Roebuck during the scrimmage.
— Redshirt freshman WR Justice Williams received an onslaught of cheers and shouts from his offensive teammates after he successfully plowed through a hoard of three defensemen on top of him, managing to stay on his feet and gain 15 yards.
— Freshman TE Austin Simmons received similar applause after making a 40-yard catch from freshman QB Treston “Kini” McMillan.
— Junior LB Taariq “Buddah” Al-Uqdah made a clutch tackle on the 1-yard line to prevent sophomore RB Adam Mohammed from scoring.
— Sophomore WR Luke Luchini closed out practice with a touchdown off a 20-yard pass thrown by senior QB Kai Horton. Luchini broke into dance as his teammates ran to the end zone to celebrate.
— Freshman safety Rylon Dillard-Allen and Davis got into a brief scuffle with senior WR Omari Evans and junior OL Drew Azzopardi after Dillard-Allen pulled Evans to the ground during the scrimmage.
— Freshman edge Devin Hyde appeared to suffer a lower-body injury during scrimmage play but managed to walk off the field unassisted after several minutes
— Scouts from the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks attended practice.
Sophia Vesely: svesely@seattletimes .com.
Comments
Thanks Taft!
I really don’t think you can use the term “glory days” to describe a time period from 2 years ago.