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One of the most unstoppable prep quarterbacks in recent state history, Chase Hansen was nonetheless billed by recruiting services as a future safety or linebacker.
His dad, Brian, was a linebacker.
It had been all too easy for him at Lone Peak to give up on the play and dart through the center of the opposing defense, too fast and too strong to be corralled by high school boys.
That wouldn't fly in the Pac-12.
Those who felt that way, anyway, no doubt felt vindicated Saturday, when the redshirt freshman quarterback wore No. 22 instead of No. 15 and played a handful of snaps at safety in the second half against Arizona State.
But Kyle Whittingham said Monday that Utah has not "by any stretch given up on him as a quarterback."
He explained: "He's fast, he's tough, he's got size, he's instinctive. And as the third quarterback, there's not really reps for him right now. It's just temporary. It's just until the season ends, and then as soon as the season ends, he'll be, for spring, back as a quarterback. That's the vision we have right now."
Hansen only began preparing to be a safety last Wednesday, Whittingham said. He'd previously covered kickoffs and Saturday also joined the kickoff return unit. As a passer, he's made just one attempt — overshooting Kenneth Scott on a flea-flicker against Fresno State — and rushed four times for 31 yards. But throughout the latter half of spring and fall camp, he got a majority of the reps under center that didn't go to seniors Travis Wilson or Kendal Thompson.
If asked, he'd play both ways in the same game "in a heartbeat," Hansen said. The 6-foot-3, 216-pounder who can run a 4.5 40-yard dash, according to Whittingham, said he isn't overly worried about the risk of injury.
"Obviously the coaches are always, it's always safety first, but I think right now it's 'Let's win every game this year,' " Hansen said. "Even in high school … I would sneak in, without my coach looking. I would go out there and sub guys out because I wanted to help the defense."
Hansen said he feels comfortable with the mental aspect of playing safety — despite having two playbooks and more textbooks to digest — but he's still adjusting to the technique of going backward and then breaking on a ball.
"Of course, there's a lot of things he can work on," said senior safety Tevin Carter, "but to be thrown in the fire like that? He did a good job, responding very well. I'm looking forward to good things from Chase."
And No. 22? He's always wanted to wear No. 22. It's the number his uncle, Randy, wore as a "monster back" — basically, a strong safety — at the U. from 1968-70. His dad followed in Randy's footsteps during high school, and so Hansen followed his father — switching to No. 15 as a high school junior only because there was already a No. 22 at Lone Peak.
On the U. defense, No. 15 currently belongs to cornerback Dominique Hatfield. So Hansen finally got his wish.
Sacks are back
This was to be, it seemed for three weeks, a different brand of Utah defense.
They'd rarely rush more than four. They'd cover for days. They'd make you try to beat them.
Not so, it turns out.
Utah, of course, led the nation last year with 55 sacks, but it totaled just three against Michigan, Utah State and Fresno State.
In three games since, they've had 13.
Whittingham has acknowledged that Utah has blitzed more frequently of late — back up to the usual 40 percent of downs — though 40 of last year's sacks came on downs in which it brought the usual four or less.
Junior defensive end Hunter Dimick said he welcomes the company.
"It's awesome," he said. "When we bring more guys, that means less guys are chipping on us and coming over for that late extra hit on us, and obviously, it's been yielding some results, so that's been really nice."
The ace up Utah's sleeve has been third-down specialist Pita Taumoepenu, who is tied for 11th nationally with an even sack per game despite watching full-time defensive ends Kylie Fitts and Jason Fanaika play a majority of downs.
The former Timpview star generally gives up 5 inches and 50 pounds to the opposition, but few ends in the country are as explosive.
"The kid's crazy," Dimick said. "He comes off the edge with his hair on fire and nothing's going to stop him. That's his mission, and he doesn't get a lot of reps, but the reps that he does get, he makes count."
"Drive" time
Via Twitter, Utah fans responded positively to the passion and enthusiasm shown by cornerbacks coach Sharrieff Shah in behind-the-scenes footage on "The Drive," which airs Wednesday nights on Pac-12 Networks.
But Shah said Tuesday he hadn't heard much about it except from his friends, who already "know who I am," he said. "They know that I'm about as silly as a 5-year-old boy."
Shah said he'd seen "bits and pieces" of each episode, but not any whole episode. His wife, Jennifer, fills him in, and he promised he'd finally sit down to watch it with her Wednesday night.
"Or else I'm going to get punched in the stomach," he laughed.
Twitter: @matthew_piper