Chase Haslett
Quarterback
6′-1″, 195 lbs.
rs-Freshman (on scholarship, 4 years to play 4)
Clayton HS / Clayton, MO

ALE Ranking last year: NR

What I Know About Him:

I was walking through the clothing sale before the spring game this year and I bumped into former Saints/Rams coach Jim Haslett buying some orange and blue gear. And after a brief moment of “has Illini football become so popular that Jim Haslett not only wants to attend the spring game but also purchase Illini gear?”, I realized he was there to watch his son. Why must I always default to “look everyone, Illini football is catching on!”

Haslett was originally a “grayshirt” when he verballed, intending to walk on last fall and then gain a scholarship as part of the 2012 class. But when some players didn’t make it to Champaign, I believe he earned a scholarship last fall. Whichever it is, you always want a quarterback in every class, and Chase Haslett is our quarterback in the 2012 class. He redshirted last year, so we’ll go into the season with Scheelhaase and Osei as juniors, O’Toole as a sophomore, and Haslett as a freshman.

What I Expect From Him:

I like that his teammates always mention him. Ask Nathan Scheelhaase about splitting reps in practice with O’Toole and Osei, and he’s certain to say “and Chase Haslett, too”. I dig that about college football. The quarterbacks are a tight knit group – including walkons like Sean McGushin, too – and they always stick up for each other. I like that.

As for Haslett, his window is likely 2014. Scheelhaase and Osei will have graduated, and he gets to battle with Reilly O’Toole for playing time. And in 2015, after O’Toole is gone, Haslett has an opportunity to fight Aaron Bailey for minutes. For the next few years? He’s likely buried behind Nate and Reilly, and we’ll likely forget about him. But they won’t.