Gig Harbor linemen Peacock, Rivera staying home to play college football in Washington

When George Fairhart began his work in the Gig Harbor football program three years ago, the coaching staff had to piece the team together in the spring.

It was Fairhart — the Tides’ head coach — who worked with the offensive linemen during that time. He noticed two incoming sophomores who stood — literally and figuratively — above the rest.

Those two were Samuel Peacock and Brenden Rivera, who recently committed to the University of Washington and Eastern Washington University, respectively.

“At first, their size and athleticism as sophomores… I was surprised that they were as athletic as they were and as sharp as they were and as hungry as they were to learn something new,” Fairhart said. “I could just tell they were going to be special kids from the very first week I worked with them.”

Three years later, the pair of Tides seniors are committed to Division I schools within the state.

Peacock, who had previously committed to Oregon State University, decided to change his commitment and stay in Western Washington.

His reasoning?

“I wanted to stay home.”

But Peacock also met with coaches and players on a visit and fell in love with the University of Washington program.

“I just absolutely loved the people there and the coaching staff,” Peacock said. “They’re a great group of guys that will take care of all of us. The atmosphere, the field, and the facilities are all top-of-the-line. The education you can get. And especially the Built For Life program where they really focus on after football. The different connections you can get through UW and the job opportunities. They take care of their players and really look out for them.”

The Built For Life program was one created by Washington head coach Chris Petersen, which teaches life skills and builds a future for athletes after football, aside from the success found on the field.

Earlier this month, Petersen announced he would step down as coach for the Huskies, making way for defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake to take over.

And after meeting with Lake, Peacock is confident in the program and the direction it’s heading with someone new at the helm.

“I was super fired up talking with (Lake),” Peacock said. “He’s going to keep the same Built For Life things. He helped build the platform with coach Petersen. He’ll bring his own little twist to things, but the core elements of what they believe in and what they push are all staying the same. He’s got a lot of energy, and I love his personality. That’s going to bring a new life to the program, and I’m super excited for that.”

As for Rivera, the Gig Harbor senior didn’t necessarily want to stay home. He prioritized the west coast, and in his words, it just so happened that he would be staying within state lines.

“I’ll be on the other side of the state, which works out perfect,” Rivera said. “Far, but not too far.”

Rivera committed to Eastern Washington for several reasons; team culture, recent success in the Big Sky Conference, and the coaching staff.

But when Rivera made his visit to the facilities during a 66-38 blowout over Northern Arizona in November, the Tides standout was mesmerized by the offensive firework show put on by the Eagles.

“They were putting up a lot of points, and I was like ‘wow, that’s something I want to be a part of,’” Rivera said.

Rivera also knows that college football is a different beast. He’ll go from being a First Team All-SSC lineman to a freshman on a Division I team.

If the Eastern Washington commit made anything known, it’s that he’s ready for the challenge.

“I’m just looking forward to going out there to compete,” Rivera said. “It’s going to be different going against people that are three to four years older than me. … They’ll be stronger, they’ll be more athletic, and just having to prove myself every day is something I’m looking forward to.”

Fairhart saw this success coming three years ago, on that first day of working with the linemen during a spring practice. And though he’s no longer their head coach, Fairhart looks forward to watching the pair of linemen flourish as they begin their college careers.

“They’re both really intelligent kids,” Fairhart said. “They’re both obviously really physical, but they’re both really sharp. And I think the potential for growth is huge. Obviously, the college coaches saw that, and I’m excited to see what they can do in the future because I think they’re going to continue to grow.”

This story was originally published December 25, 2019 at 6:00 AM.