Already a Success this Season, Safety is the Best Option for Hansen Next Year
by Brock Jensen
Even though Utah football’s Chase Hansen has a bright future ahead of him, his recent lower leg injury in the final play of the game at Washington is definitely devastating. Best wishes for a speedy recover go out to him.
This is Hansen’s first year back at football after returning earlier this year from a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Prior to that, he was a standout quarterback at Lone Peak High School here in Utah, where he led his team to an undefeated season and a state championship his senior year.
He was brought into Utah’s program as a quarterback, but this season he has found time on the field at the strong safety position. While the Washington game was just his first start of the season, he gradually gained time from senior Tevin Carter, who will now retake the starting position with Hansen done for the year.
Now the question arises — what should Utah do with Chase Hansen when he recovers? Should he stay at quarterback, the position he was recruited at, or should he focus on the position he played this year in strong safety?
Either position will work fine for both Utah and Hansen. He has shown he can function at both positions, even though he was still learning a lot of the ins and outs of safety. However, having a full off-season for Hansen to study and learn things as a safety is the best option for the Utes.
First off, changing an athletic playmaker to the defense is hardly a rarity in a Kyle Whittingham-coached team. Even this season, there are players like junior Cory Butler-Byrd, who bounces back and forth from defensive back to wide receiver. Hansen will have no problem learning safety, and he already has a head start with the experience he’s gained this season.
Utah’s decision also affects the recruiting class. Yes, Hansen would probably be a good quarterback, but since joining the Pac-12, Utah has yet to get one of those top-notch quarterback prospects other schools have gotten in the conference. Having a sophomore QB starting would definitely change what a top prospect would think about coming to play here at Utah.
Basically, if Hansen were to be named the starter already, it would be assumed that he would potentially be the starter for the next three years. This would limit another player’s opportunity for a starting job.
I’m not saying that is necessarily a bad thing for Utah, but with the team having seniors at strong safety and quarterback, it gives Utah options for Hansen’s future. But thanks to his experience this season, his ability to learn a new position and his superior athletic ability, I believe safety is the best place for Hansen when he returns in 2016.
It will be interesting to see how this scenario plays out next season. Things are relatively unknown right now, and this decision doesn’t need to be made at this moment. But rest assured, Utah will have Hansen somewhere on the field next season.
@brock_jensen02
Hansen has next-level potential at QB that could lead Utes to greatness
by Tyler Crum
After Saturday’s win in Washington, Utah has made its mark on program history as it can now claim to have beaten every opponent in the Pac-12 since joining the conference five years ago. But while the Utes left Seattle with a win, the team was dealt a considerable blow with the loss of third-string quarterback-turned-safety Chase Hansen.
For the redshirt freshman, his first start of the season would be his last, ending what had been a promising stint at the safety. Hansen was having a career night, with 11 tackles and a clutch forced-fumble in the second quarter that stopped a Husky drive near midfield.
But following a scrum on the last play of the game, Hansen is out for the season with a lower leg injury, and Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham is in a bind. When injured Hansen does return for the 2016 season, will he be at the helm of the Utah offense, or will he be leading the rough-and-tumble Ute defense as they look to restore Sack Lake City to its former glory?
Hansen has been one of this season’s biggest surprises. Anyone who has watched him play this year can tell that Hansen is tough, athletic, plays with maturity and relies on a wealth of experience that is practically unrivaled by anyone else on the team.
A lot of other guys in his position might have been content to just cruise along this season, patiently waiting until the departures of senior quarterbacks Travis Wilson and Kendal Thompson. But Hansen took the initiative, earning a reputation on the kickoff team and on defense before being awarded the start against Washington.
Above all else, his willingness to switch positions and sell out in his new role bring to mind one of Utah’s team mottos: “All in or in the way.” Hansen’s adherence to this maxim and emergence as a team leader is exactly why we’ll be seeing him as the Utes’ signal caller next season.
Hansen’s name was frequently mentioned as a legitimate contender during Utah’s quarterback battle this spring and summer. Prior to redshirting his freshman year and serving a mission, the Lone Peak product received a number of accolades, including the Salt Lake Tribune’s 2011 Class 5A Player of the Year, the Deseret News’s Mr. Football and the Utah Gatorade Player of the Year. His senior year, Hansen led the undefeated Knights to the Utah Class 5A state championship while passing for 3,066 yards and 38 touchdowns.
Even if Hansen spent a significant amount of time quarterbacking for the Utes, he is not any less experienced than the other guys on the depth chart. Besides, his time spent playing defense will definitely have toughened Hansen, who may even end up playing quarterback with the same kind of reckless disregard for his own safety that Utah fans saw out of young Travis Wilson — back when he was the “Bulldog” instead of the “Baby Giraffe”— with the exception being that Hansen’s build and speed will make him more of a dual-threat quarterback than Wilson ever was.
If past setbacks and challenges are any indication, Hansen will return next season better, stronger and more determined to make a name for himself and his team. Although the Utes have managed to get by with a reasonable amount of success during the past four years, I expect the Utes will want a national championship-caliber quarterback to take the team to the next level, and Chase Hansen might just be the right man for the job.
In the end, Whittingham has stated that the decision lies with Hansen, and while the allure of playing on one of the country’s best defenses may or may not have been enough to sway the former QB, there is no doubt that he will have an immense impact on whichever unit he choses to play on.
@tylerfcrum