Cornell Hatcher Jr. Looking For Big Sophomore Campaign in Oregon State's Backfield

It's probably safe to say that Cornell Hatcher was somewhat overlooked on the recruiting trail. Not a lot of people realize that he rushed for 42 TD's his senior season in Southern California, and was named the Los Angeles Times Back of the Year. And no, he was not playing at a low level of high school football.

Hatcher played his high school ball at Corona Centennial, a California powerhouse that is consistently ranked in the top 25 nationally. He rushed for over 2,200 yards his senior year with the Eagles in 2023, which included a 215-yard, 5 TD performance in a semifinal loss to St. John Bosco. At the conclusion of his senior campaign, Hatcher was named a Maxpreps second team All-American, and player of the year in California's Big West League. Despite racking up these accolades, power four programs took little interest in Hatcher, and he ended up accepting an offer to play at Oregon State. He redshirted in his first season with the program in 2024.

Although he mostly served as a backup to Hankerson last season, Hatcher certainly had his moments as a redshirt freshman. He came onto the scene against Houston, finishing with over 90 yards on the ground and a rushing TD. It was in this contest where Hatcher demonstrated how effective he can be once he's able to get into a rhythm with consistent carries. This didn't serve as the only highlight of his freshman season, however.

In the following week against App State, Hatcher got four more carries and also caught the first receiving touchdown of his collegiate career. Against Lafeyette, he busted off a big 43-yard rush to help Oregon State pull away in that contest. Mind you, all of this was done with a mediocre offensive line that will likely be improved this fall with the transfers they've brought in.

What's Next?

With a couple years of experience under his belt now, the talented SoCal native should be an important part of the Beaver offense this season. However, there may be a bit of a dilemma in the running back room as of right now. With three legitimately strong options, it might not be practical for any of them to become the every-down guy who gets a large bulk of the carries. But this shouldn't stop Cornell Hatcher from rising in the depth chart and being an important part of the Beavers' running game this fall, along with redshirt freshman Kourdy Glass.

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