After staying patient and working his way to a few offers, Chase Dutra finally picked up the game changing offer he was looking for last week when the Indiana Hoosiers extended one his way, and the Brownsburg star did not waste much time in accepting.
"They offered last Thursday," he said. "I didn't want to send it out too early, but I felt like it was the right place for me. I didn't have a lot of time with them, but I've built a relationship with the coaches. I wanted to give it a couple days to make it final with my family and coaches."
There were many reasons for Dutra's quick choice, but the staff he'll be working with and the location were two of the biggest.
"Obviously with the coaching staff there, they have a lot of knowledge and I'd like to gain that also. They have a great coaching staff there with a lot of experience as players and coaches. The facilities there are absolutely beautiful and the campus life is nice. They have a great weight lifting program and coaches and it's only 45 minutes from home, so my family and friends can all see me play. It just all came together."
At 6'2, 200-lbs, Dutra has played multiple positions including quaterback, receiver, defensive back and kick returner. Because of that versatility, the Hoosiers have not held him to any one position.
"They're bringing me in as strictly 100% athlete because Coach Wilson told me in staff meetings that Coach Johns wanted to see me at wide receiver, Coach Mallory wanted to see me at safety, they wanted to see me at linebacker and maybe at nickel back. They definitely will put me on special teams, so I'll be training and then get out there and see what happens."
The wait and all the miles spent camping and visiting all seem worth it now, and with the season starting this week, Dutra is ready to win and then continue winning in Bloomington.
"It's obviously a lot of stress off my back. It's a weight off back. I can focus on the season and everything. I'm glad to be playing Big Ten football and I want to take the winning we've done at Brownsburg, add on this season and then take that into Indiana. A lot of people don't know with the recruiting class we had last year and the one coming in in 2013, they'll be surprised at how we do this year and upcoming years."