By Zach Smart
Hunter Harrington‘s life isn’t conducive to much down time these days.
The Class of 2026 Stanford baseball commit, out of nationally acclaimed Cathedral Catholic (CA), has culminated a summer in which he’s blossomed as a formidable cleanup hitter.
An outfielder known for his burst and knack for dazzling plays, Harrington recently performed in the 2024 Dick’s Sporting Goods All American All Star Game in Arizona.
The twin brother of nationally ranked shortstop Alex Harrington, Hunter Harrington has already secured multiple NIL packages while under the advisement of MLB super-agent Scott Boras.
While Hunter is known for his bat speed, considerable pull side contact, and versatility (he’s played multiple positions during these embryonic stages of his career), his full ride to Stanford didn’t deter him from continuing his role as a mainstay at wide receiver on a high powered Cathedral offense.
While some college coaches want multi-sport athletes to shut it down entirely with additional sports, Stanford’s baseball program actually encouraged Hunter to play both.
An old soul in today’s times, Hunter Harrington said he’s done his due diligence on guys such as Deion Sanders and Charlie Ward, each of whom had a stockpile of offers for multiple sports coming out of high school.
As soon as Hunter Harrington’s one hour, and 15-minute flight from Arizona landed to San Diego, he immediately shifted his gaze to football season. There was no time to be spent resting on laurels or taking a week off.
“The grind isn’t easy,” said Hunter Harrington, who netted offers from Washington State and several Ivy League programs for football.
“It’s something I’ve committed myself to every day. And at this point I wake up excited to get better every day.”
The 6-foot-2, 175-pound receiver admits he will likely find himself waking up at the crack of dawn some days. The eagerness and competitive fire, he says, has a tendency to break into his solitary dreams and jolt him out of sleep.
The San Diego native is flushed into a prominent role on Sean Doyle’s formation heavy offense.The system empowers a suddenly deep receiving fleet to utilize its speed and route-running skill set.
Harrington had numerous promising performances last season–including eight receptions for 200 yards, along with two touchdowns, against Ramona HS.
The Dons appear hell-bent on erasing a downtrodden 4-8 campaign from last year, subsequently writing their own 2024 redemption song.
They return a wealth of experience. The running backs and receivers room is bolstered by a spike in numbers. The talent influx also extends to the defense, which features seasoned seniors and several impact-ready transfers. And so following a dismal 2023 that nobody wants to revisit, Cathedral Catholic has lofty aspirations to win the CIF Open Division.
“I’m expecting a completely different season out of this team,” Harrington said.
A role which emphasizes speed and multiplicity is anticipated for Harrington.
“I see myself as a big threat on offense and special teams,” Harrington said.
“I will be returning kicks this year and feel that is a strong and versatile part of my game as well.”
Harrington has registered his presence as deep ball threat alongside Class of 2026 St. Augustine (San Diego) transfer Parker Johnson.
A 6-foot-1, 180-pound wide receiver/defensive back, Johnson compiled 1,100 total yards as a sophomore last season. He yanked in 16 touchdown catches. Johnson possesses a unique blend of ball tracking skills and quickness, as he possesses a 4.43 second 40-yard dash time.
Brady Palmer, another transfer via St. Augustine, has shown passing proficiency and the arm tailor cut for a prolific attack. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Palmer has proven he can scamper as well, breaking off several game-altering jaunts as a sophomore last season. The Class of 2026 Palmer currently holds offers from the likes of Auburn, Ohio State, Southern California, Utah, Arizona, Colorado State, Minnesota, and a bevy of others.
Palmer has a cadre of weapons at his disposal in the aforementioned Harrington and Johnson. They have depth with critical pieces such as Honor Falave Johnson, Jake Funderburg, and Thomas Gruytch–to name a few.
And so the seasoned returnees and infusion of new blood pumps considerable promise into a room vowing to right the ship, following a summer which was spent upgrading the boat.
Harrington is so close with his twin brother, the aforementioned Alex Harrington, the pair recalls having the same exact dreams growing up.
An around the clock baseball schedule, which criss-crosses the country with national tournaments and events, consumes them.
Hunter Harrington, however, explained that football has remained a pivotal component of his livelihood, even as he remains committed to Stanford.
“I think football presents life lessons like no other sport,” Hunter Harrington said.
“I found my passion for it last year. I haven’t regretted sticking with it up to this point. Baseball has always been my main passion. But, football isn’t far behind. I would absolutely think about playing both in college should the opportunity be there. Not many get to do it. It is, in my eyes, a remarkable achievement for anyone who plays both sports at the next level.”
Harrington doesn’t have much time to reminisce in these summer dog days. It would be easy to wax poetic about a long 2024 summer in which the Harrington twins studied advanced Spanish overseas, each receiving an A in the course. He won’t get nostalgic or hark back on the multiple All-Tournament awards gained during Perfect Game USA’s WWBA and UBC tournaments.
Vowing to stand on business, Hunter Harrington said he is concerned solely on the present.
And no gift is greater than shiny souvenirs and hardware to culminate the 2024 football season with.
“I believe we can win state if we really do everything I know we are able to do,” Hunter Harrington deadpanned.
