Former Lone Peak star faces tough choice at Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — To be a quarterback or not to be a quarterback, that is the question Chase Hansen faces.

A star quarterback at Lone Peak High, Hansen signed with Utah intent on playing the same position in college. After spending the 2012 as a redshirt, he left to serve an LDS Church mission and came back into the program last winter the same designs to be a quarterback for the Utes.

Hansen quickly worked his way up the depth to become the third-string quarterback, behind seniors Travis Wilson and Kendal Thompson. After three weeks of spring practice, he beat out sophomores Brandon Cox and Conner Manning.

But as expected, he saw little action once the season began. When circumstances created a need at safety last month, Hansen jumped at the chance to get significant playing time for the first time in four years.

He is now entrenched as a safety and special teams player for the Utes, who are in first place in the Pac-12 South Division and No. 13 in the first College Football Playoff rankings. At some point after the season, which the Utes hope won't be until January, Hansen will have to make a position decision.

"It's tough to answer right now," said Hansen, whose father, uncle and cousin played football for BYU. "I figured that would be the situation."

The dilemma isn't so much for the next few years as it is for after college. Blessed with tremendous athletic ability, Hansen very well could be good enough to play quarterback in college. But playing defense could be his ticket to the NFL.

Either way, the good thing for the immediate future is Hansen will start somewhere for Utah.

"The future for Chase is up to Chase," said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. "I think he's going to be a fine quarterback if that's the direction he wants to go. He's falling in love with the safety position.

"The short version is after the season we'll talk to him, see which way he wants to go, and whichever way that is the direction we'll go. He's going to play somewhere for us next year full time and it just depends on where he wants to be."

For now, Hansen seems reluctant to make the call. From the sound of it, he wants serious guidance from Whittingham and his two position coaches, safeties coach Morgan Scalley and co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Aaron Roderick.

"I feel like sometimes as a player you kind of just want the coaches to say this is your best decision, go for it," he said. "In a way, it will probably make the decision a little bit tougher. But I'm sure (Whittingham will) give me a lot of good of advice on where he feels I'll benefit best.

"I kind of just want for someone to say, whether it's me or someone else, hey, you're a safety or you're a quarterback, so I can go all out."

The decision also could be taken out of his hands if another quarterback moves ahead of him. Given that they've yet to make an impact after being in the program for three years, it doesn't look like either Cox or Manning will be named the starter for the 2016 season-opener.

Utah has secured a commitment from junior college quarterback Troy Williams, who transferred to Santa Monica College from the University of Washington. Recruiting services ranked Williams as the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the country coming out of high school in the Los Angeles area and a top 15 player overall in California.

Maybe it's a coincidence, but Whittingham and defensive coordinator John Pease have raved about Hansen's play at safety since Williams committed to Utah. Hansen even admits the competition at quarterback probably will determine his fate.

"I guess it's a good thing it's going to be a tough decision," he said. "That means I like both the positions. A lot of it depends on who comes in next year. I don't know what's that going to be. It's tough to say right now, but we'll see what happens."

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