Union standout makes his decision official

Darien Chase, who made his choice in October, signs with Nebraska during early period

 

Darien Chase signed his letter of intent to play football at Nebraska while displaying memorabilia from Union football. A senior at Union, Chase helped the Titans win the Class 4A state championship. Now he is preparing to play wide receiver at Nebraska. Photo courtesy of Rory Rosenbach
Darien Chase signed his letter of intent to play football at Nebraska while displaying memorabilia from Union football. A senior at Union, Chase helped the Titans win the Class 4A state championship. Now he is preparing to play wide receiver at Nebraska. Photo courtesy of Rory Rosenbach

Union senior Darien Chase was up early Wednesday morning, officially turning himself into a Cornhusker.

 

Chase, who was recently named the co-state football Player of the Year by the Seattle Times, signed his national letter of intent to play at Nebraska.

The Cornhuskers announced the signing before most students even made it to Union to start the school day.

“Tremendous young man,” Nebraska offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Troy Walters said on a social media broadcast.

“He’s a winner. Comes from a winning program,” Walters said. “Loves football. Passionate. Excited about being a Cornhusker. He’s going to add a lot of value to this receiving corps.”

Walters noted that Chase made his official visit to Lincoln on the weekend of Oct. 20. Chase made his commitment then and never wavered.

Chase told ClarkCountyToday.com that he had never had the feeling he had that day after visiting other programs. There was something special at Nebraska.

“The opportunity there, the fan base, the culture, the players, the coaches,” Chase said. “Just too much to turn down. I loved it.”

Darien Chase, a Union High School senior, expects to be scoring touchdowns for the Nebraska Cornhuskers in future seasons. He signed with Nebraska on Wednesday morning. Photo by Mike Schultz
Darien Chase, a Union High School senior, expects to be scoring touchdowns for the Nebraska Cornhuskers in future seasons. He signed with Nebraska on Wednesday morning. Photo by Mike Schultz

Chase just finished an incredible high school football career in Clark County. A starter as a freshman and sophomore at Mountain View, he then moved to Union and helped the Titans win back-to-back Class 4A Greater St. Helens League titles.

This fally, the Titans went 14-0 and won the Class 4A state championship, the first for the program. Chase and quarterback Lincoln Victor were named co-players of the year by the Seattle Times.

The University of Nebraska announced Wednesday morning that Darien Chase of Union did sign his letter of intent. Photo courtesy of Nebraska athletics
The University of Nebraska announced Wednesday morning that Darien Chase of Union did sign his letter of intent. Photo courtesy of Nebraska athletics

Chase had numerous special moments, including a kickoff return for a touchdown in the final minute of a game in California to give Union a victory.

In the state championship game, he played injured but still caught five passes for 126 yards and a touchdown.

The traditional signing period is in February. In fact, several other football players from Clark County are expected to sign then. Chase, however, said he wanted to take advantage of the new early signing period, which started last year. He said in October that he was “1,000 percent” committed to Nebraska. He confirmed that with his signature early Wednesday morning.

Chase is a Cornhusker.

Receive comment notifications
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x