Washington is about two weeks into Fall camp ahead of the 2024 season. Full pads are becoming more of an everyday look from the Huskies during practice, and we are starting to make note of progress from the offense. Along the offensive line, the team’s anchor appears to be making great strides to get back to full health. And at tight end, Washington looks to have options in its passing game and in-line blocking. Let’s go through the notepad from Fall camp for this Washington offense so far.
Landen Hatchett’s Progress
Through two weeks, we’ve seen promising progress from Washington center Landen Hatchett. He has been in pads with the team taking contact reps during Fall camp. In scrimmage sessions, Hatchett rotated in with the second team on every third or fourth drive. The true sophomore suffered an ACL injury last December during College Football Playoff preparation. It’s been only seven months since the injury, and his progress back to health has been quick, but not rushed.
During Hatchett’s drives at center, he was flanked by Paki Finau at left guard and Maximus McCree at left tackle. On his other side, Michael Lavelle Watkins lined up at right guard with Kahlee Tafai at right tackle. It should be noted that this isn’t a definitive second team, but this group has been pretty consistent as a number two line. The Washington coaching staff has made it clear that there are no starters or Fall camp depth chart on this roster. We won’t see a true depth chart until right before the opener against Weber State.
Last season, Hatchett recorded 119 snaps at the offensive line in nine games played. He was awarded the team’s most outstanding freshman award at the end-of-year banquet following the 2023 season. A healthy Hatchett anchoring the offensive line will go a long way in solidifying the line of scrimmage for 2024.
Consistency in Personnel Groupings
We counted 14 offensive linemen suited up in full pads at one point last week. Washington can field nearly three full offensive lines at practice, a huge step from where the team was in the Spring. Back in April, there were as few as eight guys suited up along the offensive line. That shallow front hindered Washington’s ability to work their offensive depth during the Spring. With players getting back to health and true freshmen officially on the roster, this group looks noticeably larger.
With Hatchett’s limitations, Portland State transfer D’Angalo Titialii has been getting the first-team work at center. To Titialii’s left, Gaard Memmelaar is still at left guard with Soane Faasolo at left tackle. On the other side, it’s Enokk Vimahi at right guard and Drew Azzopardi at right tackle. With Hatchett’s return to full health approaching, we’ll likely see Titialii shift to the right guard spot and compete with Vimahi to make room for Hatchett at center. There’s no true depth chart, but this “first-team” remains consistent.
Tall Target at Tight End
In the offseason, Washington was able to land former California and Nevada tight end Keleki Latu. The new Husky is the younger brother of former Washington and UCLA defensive end Laiatu Latu. At tight end, the younger Latu stands at 6’-7” wearing the number 85.
During red zone offense, Latu made an impressive catch in the back of the end zone over the middle in a lot of traffic. The throw came from true freshman quarterback Demond Williams Jr. and was placed high above the defense. Latu elevated over the defense and pulled down the pass for a score. Williams’ pass was so high above the defense that it looked almost like a throw-away. But its placement was intentional because Latu was the only one who could get it. In addition to this head-turning play, Latu’s presence at tight end has been noticed during scrimmage sessions. His size makes him a popular passing target in this pro-style offense.
Latu is a fourth-year senior who is now in his third FBS program. The tight end group at Washington is led by presumed starter Quentin Moore. But Latu is sure to see the field this season. Latu is three inches taller than Moore and has 36 collegiate receptions compared to seven from his counterpart. Moore brings a physicality to the position with his above-average blocking abilities. Latu has tremendous length and will provide another great option in the tight-end passing game.
Wide Receiver Standout
Jeremiah Hunter is going to be a reliable target this Fall for the Huskies. The California transfer is 6′-2″ with sticky hands and a physical pass-catching ability. Over the middle, Hunter makes himself a large target in traffic and maintains stride while hauling in contested catches. Hunter’s receiving game excelled on those over-the-middle targets during his time in Berkeley. Nearly half of his catches last season came on throws to the middle of the field. That ability seems to have followed him to Seattle. During the first week of camp, Hunter hauled in a red zone touchdown over the middle from Williams. It was in a similar spot to Latu’s mentioned previously. The pass was placed where only he could come down with it, and he did just that.
But his skill set isn’t limited to the middle third of the turf. Hunter showed off his hands at practice last Friday when he hauled in a back-shoulder throw from Williams. With the sideline to his left, Hunter leaped into the air, spinning to his right, and picked the football out of the sky with his right hand before landing, completing the 360, and continuing up the sideline.
During the two-minute session, Hunter pulled down a touchdown pass from about 30 yards out on a fade pattern from Will Rogers. He caught it as he fell to the turf in the front corner of the end zone as he separated himself from tight coverage to haul in the back-shoulder throw. Hunter’s versatility as a wide receiver at Washington has been noted during Fall camp. We expect him to become a top target in this offense as it transitions to the Big Ten.
