Inside The Huskies

Kodi Greene Explains His Motivations That Led Him to UW

The 5-star offensive tackle covered a lot of territory, such as why he moved to Los Angeles to finish his high school football.
Dan Raley|
Kodi Green did a sitdown on his UW recruitment.
Kodi Green did a sitdown on his UW recruitment. | Kodi Greene

Looking poised and comfortable in the University of Washington football team meeting room, soon to become a regular hangout of his, Kodi Greene sat in front of a camera on Friday and offered unsolicited insights into his recruitment.

For four minutes, the 5-star player and 6-foot-5, 320-pound offensive tackle -- who coach Jedd Fisch expects to come in and start right away -- went over everything from why he left home to play his high football in Los Angeles to why he chose the Huskies.

Of the latter, Green explained his decision to play for the UW in this manner, citing his connections to the city and already to the fan base.

"I realized that this is everything I was looking for in a program. I feel like I'm really, really wanted here. That commitment to the U-Dub means a lot. All the support from the fans, being that hometown hero, being born and raised in Washington, it means a lot."

For Greene, considered California's No. 1 recruit, his move to Mater Dei High School in the Los Angeles area, gave him a certain level of independence.

"The move to Mater Dei taught me a lot of things, like how to deal with adversity like going from my home in Seattle to a new place I never thought about living. Leaving all my friends and family behind and making that move taught me a lot."

If he were asked to sell the UW football program, now that he's part of it, Green said he would start with the man in charge.

"If a fellow recruit asked me why he should consider U-Dub, I would say that Jedd Fisch is doing something special. He's poured his heart and soul into this program. I took a visit and came in with open eyes and now I'm here."

While it's a rare accomplishment, Greene insists he's not overly consumed by his 5-star ranking bestowed on him by the recruiting websites.

"It's cool saying U-Dub has a 5-star commit. Deep down inside, that really doesn't mean too much to me. My main focus is play football and not worry about the rankings."

When it comes to Husky memories, Greene goes all the way back for a decade or more to when he and his brother, Kayden, now a UW walk-on receiver, were young kids sitting in the stadium crowd as impressionable fans.

"Some of my fondest memories, as far as coming to Husky Stadium, was my first tailgate, like 10 something years ago. Me and my brother had our Husky jerseys on watching the game. That's a memory I'll never forget with him."

For a more current greatest remembrance of all things Montlake, Greene pointed to the Huskies' 36-33 victory over Oregon in 2023, a team he was once committed to, that ended with a missed Ducks' kick to tie.

"My greateat Husky football memory is Oregon missing the field goal two years ago and everyone storming the field. That defeinitely is my favorite Husky memory."

Greene also mentioned how his multiple family connections to the school also helped him form a greater bond with the place.

"My mom is an alum, my brother is here, my grandpa taught here. We have history of coming through the University of Washington. That's another reason in continuing that tradition and coming through here."

And, finally, it was well worth it for him and his parents to uproot themselves to California the past two years so he could attend Mater Dei and better ready himself for what's next for him on the football field.

"Coming from Mater Dei will prepare me for Big Ten football because every day in practice I'm playing against the best. I'm playing in the hardest league in the country. Every one is good there. It's like the highest level of football in high school that can translate to the highest level in college."

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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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