Hayden Moore Enjoys Breakout Showing in UW Scrimmage

Consider Hayden Moore the consolation prize for the University of Washington from the 2024 College Football Playoff championship game.

While the Huskies didn't beat Michigan with everything on the line 20 months ago, they welcomed the 6-foot-2, 222-pound Moore as a transfer from the Wolverines' roster, gave him a new position and on Saturday night gladly shared in his defensive possibilities.

A former linebacker turned edge rusher, Moore came up with an impressive 3.5 tackles for loss in the Huskies' two-hour scrimmage, continuously working his way into the backfield to make a big stop.

"We found a better place for him, in our opinion, in rushing the passer," UW coach Jedd Fisch said. "I thought today he showed up. He's also doing a great job on special teams. He gave himself a good opportunity to play three weeks from tonight."

Hayden Moore has made the move from linebacker to edge rusher at the UW. | Dan Raley

With the UW preparing to open the season against Colorado State on August 30, it has just 25 players on the roster who were involved in the national championship game -- 24 Huskies, including seven who drew snaps that night, and Moore, who was in uniform but watched as a redshirt for the Wolverines.

This past week, Moore, who's from Parker, Colorado, in the Denver suburbs, met with local media members for the first time and laughed easily when asked to give his thoughts on the big game from a different perspective.

He didn't consider it unusual to go from one side to the other right after that CFP finale, rather more beneficial to his football career, especially after then-Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh left for the Los Angeles Chargers.

"I really didn't think of it as too weird at all," Moore said. "The opportunity came and I took it, and I saw this place as the best fit. Now I'm here, got the opportunity to be here and couldn't be happier."

Besides, Moore had a Husky connection in his Colorado football background. At Regis Jesuit High School, his position coach was the late Harald Hasselbach, a Canadian who played at the UW in 1985-89. Or actually didn't play much at all, but made everything pay off for him.

A late bloomer to football, Hasselbach appeared in just four plays for the Huskies in his career, all coming against Florida and standout running back Emmitt Smith in the Freedom Bowl in Anaheim, California. He was credited with a tackle on Smith in the UW's 34-7 victory.

Yet he turned that Montlake experience into a full-fledged pro football career, becoming a starter while spending four seasons in the CFL with the Calgary Stampeders and seven more in the NFL with the Denver Broncos. He was overly successful, too, winning a Grey Cup and a pair of Super Bowls.

Sadly, Hasselbach was just 56 when he died from cancer on Nov. 23, 2023 -- seven weeks before the UW and Michigan played for the CFP title.

"Coach Hasselbach was a good dude," Moore said. "It was a tough deal."

Hayden Moore heads for the field with his then Michigan teammates for the CFP title game against Washington. | Skylar Lin Visuals

Moore similarly is getting transformed into a productive football player. He appeared in the final three games of the season for Fisch's Huskies in 2024, getting on the field against UCLA, Oregon and Louisville in the Sun Bowl as a special-teamer.

This past spring, the UW staff, specifically edge coach Aaron Van Horn and linebackers coach Brian Odom, approached him about changing positions and, while a surprise, he was all on board with the move.

"I was just looking to play anywhere I can to help the team," he said.

Since arriving, he has grown a full beard and looks much more filled out in his frame, though he still considers himself undersized, especially when playing the same position with 6-foot-5, 256-pound senior Zach Durfee and 6-foot-5, 260-pound junior Jacob Lane.

While he might be lacking some pounds at the moment, he has something that has to be the envy of those two dozen opponents turned teammates of his -- a CFP championship ring.

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