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In order to keep one dream alive, Christian Folau had to decide to move on from another. On Monday, the East High star linebacker, along with his family, decided it best he de-commit from Stanford.

"It was really difficult, especially for my family and my parents," Folau told the Tribune by phone Wednesday night. "I know [Stanford] was my dream school and that's why I committed to them so early. But it's also always been my dream to not have my parents have to pay a dime for my college education, and I've always wanted to play college football."

Admittance into Stanford, where he committed last July, requires a minimum ACT score of 25. After two tries not hitting that mark, the East High Student Body President — who also carries a 3.9 GPA — decided it best he de-commit and open up his recruitment once again to explore other options in case interested from other top programs waned. The 6-foot-1, 240-pound middle linebacker is a team captain for the Leopards for the second year in a row. Through six games, he has 65 tackles and six sacks. Offensively, he's rushed for 276 yards and four touchdowns.

The list of interested programs remains impressive. Folau said his list, as currently constituted, includes Utah, Wisconsin, Oklahoma State, Washington, UCLA, USC, Oregon and others. When asked if Gary Andersen's recent pull in the Beehive State— he's so far snagged Jordan star QB Austin Kafentzis and former East star RB Ula Toluta'u — had anything to do with his moving on from Stanford, Folau said it wasn't a factor at all.

Folau said the Utah option remains enticing because of the familiarity with the culture — oh, and all of his sisters are Utes alumna.

"I'm considering Utah because I'm a religious guy as well as a local guy," Folau said. "Coming back [after his planned LDS mission] it would be nice to stay home, especially for easier transportation for my mom so she can see all my games."

Folau said he was planning on submitting his mission papers sometime in January and graduating early, something he'd still like to do in order to get ahead on his collegiate career. But there is no deadline set for where Folau plans to visit soon or even commit.

He said he's looking into taking some visits to Wisconsin, Oklahoma State and Washington.

"They're not set in stone yet," he said.

Folau's decision to decommit was first reported by Scout.com's Doug Kimmel Wednesday afternoon.

-Chris Kamrani

Twitter: @chriskamrani