The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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COMMITMENT PROFILE "Jimmy, tell me that you are going to have a fullback that lines directly behind the quarterback, and a half- back in the I-formation," late Mich- igan head coach Bo Schembechler once said to Jim Harbaugh after his former player was hired at Stanford in 2007. If you watched graduated senior fullback Sione Houma carry the ball 43 times for 184 yards and five touch- downs last year, it's clear that Har- baugh does indeed have a fullback. Just before the spring game, Har- baugh landed his first recruit at the position in Jacksonville (Fla.) Trin- ity Christian's Chase Lasater. The 6-2, 238-pounder committed to Har- baugh and Michigan immediately after being offered during his first trip to Ann Arbor. "They told me over the phone that they'd like to offer me, but they wanted to see me play first," La- sater explained. "Once I got up there and met Coach [Jim] Harbaugh and shook his hand, he decided to offer me right there. "I ended up committing, so obvi- ously it went really well. Everything went better than planned, actually. "The visit went great. I met all of the coaches, and they were all real cool with me. Coach Harbaugh is really cool. He said he's going to give me a chance to play linebacker, too, so once that offer came I just committed." Lasater has been to four high schools in his prep career, which helps to explain the lack of offers at this point in his recruitment. The three-star fullback/linebacker is an under-the-radar prospect, but Har- baugh saw enough in him to extend an offer. Lasater is very attracted to the way Harbaugh used Houma last year and also by the opportunity to play both ways. "That was definitely a big part of it all," he said of Houma's produc- tion. "They are recruiting me to be that guy in the offense. Hopefully I can play both sides of the ball, but mainly I'll be at fullback. Jim Harbaugh Has His Fullback In Chase Lasater Lasater, a 6-2, 238-pound fullback/line- backer from Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian, is listed as a three-star prospect by Rivals.com. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN