What does greatness look like? How does someone separate themselves from the ordinary competitor and become a dominant force? Grit. Discipline. Dedication.
These terms are often associated with the commitment an athlete has to make to make the jump from one level to the next. The path to playing football at the highest level of competition, the National Football League (NFL), is extremely challenging and tests the work ethic of elite athletes transitioning from college to the pros.
It has been a long journey from Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Arizona to Detroit for Lions’ rookie longsnapper Hogan Hatten, the former Idaho Vandal. No matter where he goes, Hatten is always one of the most calm, cool and collected players on the field. He doesn’t succumb to pressure and doesn’t overthink in any situation on the field.
In less than a year, Hatten went from being a specialist in the FCS to being an NFL starter and locker buddies with three-time pro-bowler Jared Goff. He is the perfect example of how hard work and diligence pay off, regardless of the intensity of the circumstances.
Hatten grew up in the Phoenix area, playing football, basketball and baseball throughout high school. He fell in love with football, winning an Arizona state championship and being recruited as a linebacker. The state championship was his favorite football memory because he values the rare feeling of winning a championship over all else.
He and his twin brother, Hayden, both received multiple offers to play collegiate football, but Idaho was the only Division-1 school to offer both brothers a scholarship.
“Even though my brother had bigger offers than I did, and he was a higher recruit than I was, he selflessly sacrificed his ability to go play at a bigger school, to play with me,” Hatten said. “He had an incredible career at Idaho and that was just fun to be a part of and fun to watch. Every time he went out and made a play, it just made me want to do the same thing on the other side of the ball.”
Under head coach Paul Petrino, Hatten started at linebacker for the first two years of his collegiate career. The team needed a long snapper his freshman year, so he stepped up to fill the role due to his high school long snapping experience.
After playing both positions for two years, everything changed for Hatten when Petrino was replaced by Jason Eck. Hatten was no longer playing under the coaching staff that recruited him and was no longer a starting linebacker. That is when he really honed in on his skills as a long snapper and perfected his technique.
“My biggest career struggle ended up being the best decision that ever happened,” Hatten said. “I really wanted to be a linebacker, but coming towards the end of my career, I realized I could take this a step further if I just focused on [long-snapping].”
Though he entered college only desiring to play linebacker, his decision to stay at Idaho following the demotion from his starting linebacker spot ultimately paid off. His 53 consecutive games as the Vandal’s longsnapper ultimately gave Hatten a path to the NFL, where he signed a three-year contract for $2.83 million.
His favorite memory on the gridiron as a Vandal was beating Montana on the road in 2023.
“Being able to take down a team of that caliber in their own stadium while being massive underdogs is really just the Vandal way,” Hatten said. “Just being able to pull through and overcome; That’s kind of what the University of Idaho is all about.”
Hatten was not hesitant to show love to Eck and the positive changes that have been made in the Vandal football program in the last few years.
“The coaching change was really beneficial to the players because it became less about winning and more about developing good young men, and when you have a program that’s focused on making each player better as an individual, then the entire program gets uplifted and you just inevitably start winning games,” Hatten said. “Coach Eck is all about making better men and creating a better atmosphere for performance.”
Hatten was “absolutely stoked,” when he was offered a contract from the Lions. As an undrafted free agent, players get a say in where they end up. This is because multiple teams often offer contracts to a free agent and then the player can decide which team is the best fit.
“I felt like Detroit was the perfect place for me,” Hatten said. “I feel like the style of football they play compliments my style of football and there’s nothing cooler than being on a winning team. And that goes all the way back to Idaho; All the way back to high school. Even now in the NFL, there’s nothing better than being on a winning team.”
Despite smoothly transitioning into his starting role as a rookie, all rookies have adjustments that they need to make to thrive in the league.
“The biggest difference is how quickly you have to retain information,” Hatten said. “Coaches speak incredibly fast in meetings, and they expect you to be paying full attention and treat the job like a true professional.”
When asked if the competition in the NFL was far more talented than in FCS, Hatten explained that there is not as much of a difference as one would assume.
“Yeah, these players are extremely athletic, fast and strong,” Hatten said. “But even players at the Division-1 level are extremely athletic and fast and strong. I think the biggest difference is these players really treat their job as a professional and they treat their body like a professional. We’re all pretty normal guys. We just have found a way to hone our craft.”
Longsnapping is an underappreciated art in the game of football and has a huge impact on the outcome of a game. The technique required to successfully long-snap is extremely precise, and it is imperative that the same motion is used every time. Hatten says there is no special trick to it other than extensive practice.
“It’s a lot like golf; There is no secret sauce or quick trick or some formula that will make you great,” Hatten said. “It’s just constant work and practice.”
Hatten gives credit to two people for his success up to this point in the league. His snapping coach, Don Muhlbach, a 17-year NFL veteran, and Detroit’s pro-bowl punter, Jack Fox.
Hatten mimics a sponge, trying to absorb every piece of advice the special teams guru, Muhlbach gives him. He says Muhlbach is one of the biggest reasons he wanted to play in Detroit.
Fox has been a mentor to Hatten, who says that Fox’s leadership is “everything a rookie could want.” He is grateful to have the opportunity to learn from a player of Fox’s caliber.
Since committing to long-snapping, Hatten has continued grinding and making daily improvements.
“It’s corny, but ‘get one percent better every day’ is definitely a great analogy,” Hatten said. “You definitely don’t become a professional in one day and you don’t become a master of anything instantly. But if you just continue to work and continue to grow, that’s where you find your biggest strides.”
Ultimately, Hatten has overcome all odds, using his experience in the Big Sky to his advantage and gradually refining his game more and more each day. Though he is on to bigger endeavors in his football career, Hatten loved his time in Moscow and says it taught him multiple valuable lessons.
“There are so many people in Moscow that mean so much to me even now to this day,” Hatten said. “You can make the most of any situation you’re in, and I love Moscow. Just having a good attitude and really building my mindset around, ‘hey, I’m a lucky guy and I’m happy to be here’ is the best thing I got out of Idaho.”
M. Bradford
What a great article. Yesterday watching the Chargers long snapper blow a snap causing the Saints to get two points off a safety because if it! The long snapper is very important to the game indeed.