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Just like his high school offense, Chase Christiansen had three options. And the 6-foot-2 quarterback/linebacker prospect went with the one he felt would take him the furthest when he committed to the Aggies on Tuesday.
"It just seems like Utah State is on the way up, and I want to be a part of it," Christiansen said. "The coaching staff is phenomenal - they don't really sit back and have their hands in their pockets or anything. You can see they have a passion for coaching, and obviously they've had success with that recently."
Utah State's latest 2014 recruit is an under-the-radar prospect, but an intriguing athlete who has been the centerpiece of an aggressive triple-option offense. Hailing from Stansbury High and playing for his father, Christiansen has done a lot to put a young program on the map.
The two-way star helped lead the Stallions to a region title and 3A quarterfinal berth last season before falling to eventual champ Dixie. He racked up more than 1,600 total yards and 30 total touchdowns (19 rushing, 11 passing).
His father, Clint Christiansen, has been his guide in the recruiting process. Chase said he talked over his options with his dad many times before finally settling on Utah State after some good talks with the coaching staff.
Christiansen has other offers to Utah and Southern Utah. He also received some interest from triple-option schools Georgia Tech and Navy, but Christiansen said liked the idea of staying close to home. He'll join the program immediately in the fall of 2014.
"I think it's far enough away that I can have a good college experience," he said. "At the same time, my family can kind of keep an eye on me and are just an hour and a half away."
Although Christiansen has made his name in prep circles as an offensive playmaker, he'll likely play linebacker at Utah State. He averaged 5.4 tackles per game and recorded an interception last season on defense. Such a transition would be reminiscent of Nick Vigil, who was a star running back at Fremont but will play linebacker for the Aggies this fall.
Christiansen is the second DI commit out of Stansbury, a program that's only been around four years. Defensive lineman Allan Havili, another 2014 prospect, committed to Utah earlier this year.
"It's cool to have guys making a name for themselves in our community, but we're all focused on the team," Christiansen said. "Now we can concentrate on this year and making sure we're ready to go. It's all about winning high school games right now."
— Kyle Goonkgoon@sltrib.comTwitter: @kylegoon