The transfer portal opened on Monday, and Washington has already had over a dozen players enter their names. Two starting offensive linemen were the most notable players to put their names into the portal. With D’Angalo Titialii completing his final year of eligibility, the Husky offensive line will have lost three of its starters from the final regular season game.
Offensive Line Departures
The transition to the 2024 season featured a rebuilt offensive line with new names at every position. Moving into 2025, the personnel up front are beginning to shuffle again. Starting left guard Gaard Memmelaar and starting left tackle Kahlee Tafai both entered the transfer portal on Monday.
Tafai stepped in this season following injuries to Soane Faasolo and Maximus McCree at left tackle. This year, the left tackle spot at Washington allowed a total of 40 quarterback pressures according to Pro Football Focus. Tafai was responsible for just 11 of those pressures and allowed just two sacks on the season. The redshirt freshman played in eight games this season for Washington, starting the final four regular season contests. Tafai will have three years of eligibility remaining at his next program.
Memmelaar will be a sixth-year senior in 2025 after he transfers this season. Chris Petersen originally recruited him for the 2020 class. Memmelaar played in all 12 games this season at left guard, starting in all but one. He was the team’s second-highest graded pass blocker along the front according to Pro Football Focus. Memmelaar allowed just nine pressures this season with zero sacks.
A Return Home
Despite the departures, former Washington offensive lineman Geirean Hatchett has announced his return to Montlake. Hatchett transferred to Oklahoma after the 2023 season at Washington. But he made just one start before suffering an injury that held him out for the remainder of the 2024 season. But in an announcement on social media the day the transfer portal opened, Hatchett let Husky fans know he was coming back to Washington.
Hatchett played in 12 games during the 2023 season including the College Football Playoff semifinal and national championship. That season, he allowed just 10 quarterback pressures and zero sacks. Oklahoma lists him as 6’-5” and 318 pounds. The Washington native will be a sixth-year senior this season and is reunited with his younger brother Landen Hatchett. The younger Hatchett played in all 12 regular season games this season with five starts.
Outlook on Transfers
Jedd Fisch said that players who enter the transfer portal can still play in the upcoming Sun Bowl against Louisville. The head coach values the transfer portal, and he clearly respects his players’ decisions to do what’s best for them individually. As Fisch said, a bowl game is a celebration of this past season. The transfer portal is looking ahead to next season.
