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More Than Anything, DeBoer Needs a Starting Center

The new Husky coach has to find someone to anchor the offensive line.
Dan Raley|
More Than Anything, DeBoer Needs a Starting Center
More Than Anything, DeBoer Needs a Starting Center

As Kalen DeBoer gets better acquainted with his players, the new University of Washington coach will find plenty of game film to break down on every position except one.

More than anything, he needs a No. 1 center.

This past season, sixth-year senior Luke Wattenberg played every down over the ball except for the last two series in a blowout win over Arkansas State and a handful of plays when he got banged up against Michigan, maybe 15 snaps in all.

Now he's off to pursue an NFL career, leaving three or four serious candidates to compete for his job.

Corey Luciano drew those smattering of plays this fall that didn't go to Wattenberg, yet the now 6-foot-4, 295-pound senior from Danville, California, spent more of his time playing on special teams and filling in on short-yardage plays as an extra blocker.

He's one of four logical candidates to replace Wattenberg, though the Huskies have a history of taking veteran linemen from other positions and teaching them the job on the fly.

Wattenberg was a starting left tackle and left guard for the Huskies before he was moved to center the past two seasons and he twice became an All-Pac-12 honorable-mention choice.

He replaced Nick Harris, who was a two-year starter at left and right guard before he was summoned as the starting center in 2018 and 2019, twice becoming a first-team All-Pac-12 selection. 

Harris, who now plays multiple positions for the Cleveland Browns, took over for Coleman Shelton, who started at every other position across the offensive line before he opened at center in 2016 and 2017. He received second-team and first-team All-Pac-12 honors, respectively. Today, Shelton plays for the Los Angeles Rams.

Unless holdover offensive-line coach Scott Huff tries to get creative again and choose another player without prior center qualifications, the Huskies likely will turn to one of the following candidates who at some point have been groomed to man the position.

Corey Luciano

The Huskies utilized the one-time Diablo Valley College transfer as a reserve tight end when he first arrived in 2019 because of a position shortage, moved him to backup right tackle behind Victor Curne a year ago and made him Wattenberg's back-up this past season. A senior, this California native will be given the first shot at the starting job, but he still could be hard-pressed to hold off one of the younger guys who come highly recommended.

Geirean Hatchett 

This once heavily recruited player picked the Huskies over Ohio State, Oklahoma and Stanford. He spent last season as the No. 3 center, but hasn't appeared in a UW game yet over two years. He was a guard in his first season. With his credentials and potential, the 6-foot-4, 290-pound redshirt freshman from Ferndale, Washington, easily could slide into the starting role if Luciano can't lock it down. He should be done sitting it out on game day. For that matter, he wears a true center number (56).

Matteo Mele

This is the only player on the roster with starting experience at center for the Huskies, though it came three seasons ago and preceded his move to right tackle. As a redshirt freshman, he replaced an injured Harris and opened against Arizona in his hometown and held up well. He was the backup to Wattenberg a year ago. This past season, he played in a reserve role at tackle behind Curne, splitting a lot of second-half snaps. Now a 6-foot-5, 290-pound junior, the Arizonan is ready to line up wherever and whenever he's needed.

Myles Murao 

One of the more highly regarded offensive linemen signed by the Huskies in recent years, he came to Washington after turning down Alabama, LSU, USC, Michigan and a host of others. The 6-foot-3, 320-pound redshirt freshman from Torrance, California, worked out at center his first year in the program and moved to guard this past season, while dealing with a series of injuries. Similar to Hatchett, he's seemingly ready to play for the UW at any time and is probably not served well by watching a third season. He likewise wears a center number (50). He needs to get on the field now. 

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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