This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Highland • Unlike his friend Brandon Fanaika, Chase Hansen had little drama on signing day.
The heralded Lone Peak quarterback stuck to the commitment he made before his senior season and signed a National Letter of Intent with Utah.
"The recruiting process can be a roller coaster some times," Hansen said. "I'm still so glad I committed early and I feel like that helped me thorughout my senior season."
Whereas Fanaika didn't announce his decision until Wednesday morning, Hansen was a no-doubt Utah signee. Even though he is in the middle of the basketball season for top-ranked Lone Peak, Hansen was noticeably excited about football. He said he began to throw in recent days, after taking two months off to let his arms regain some strength after the rigors of Lone Peak's undefeated run to the 5A state championship.
"I felt like the time off was really good for my arm," he said, "Lost a couple of pounds, which was frustrating."
Earlier this year, Hansen announced his intention to delay his mission by about six months and compete for the Utes' starting quarterback job.
Hansen said he was looking forward to learning from players such as Jordan Wynn and Jon Hays, as well as quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson.
"I haven't really gotten that opportunity," he said. "So I'm really excited, mentally, to kind of get the feel of what it's like at the next level."
Hansen was responsible for 54 touchdowns last season at Lone Peak. He threw for 3,066 yards and rushed for 1,404 more. Originally thought to be a prime candidate to be switched to defense, Hansen emerged as a strong QB option for the Utes in the fall.
— Bill Oram