Nixa senior Chase Allen ended a whirlwind recruiting process on Friday by choosing to play football for Iowa State University next fall.
"I sat down with my family and talked a lot about my decision. I used to live in Ames and I have grown up a Cyclone fan. It has always been my dream to play there and the opportunity arose along with some other opportunities such as Michigan. In my heart I knew that was the place I wanted to be. It felt like home," Allen said.
The tight end recrut had offers from 19 programs, but narrowed his decision down to the Cyclones, Nebraska, and a Michigan team led by Jim Harbaugh that currently has the nation’s fifth-ranked recruiting class according to Scout.com.
Harbaugh came in person to visit Allen on Tuesday, which had many on the outside thinking the Wolverines were the front runner.
In the end, it came down to more than just football for the 6-foot-7, 220-pound senior.
PICTURES: CHASE ALLEN PICKS IOWA STATE – CLICK HERE
"A lot of people expect athletes to go to the biggest school that offers them and not necessarily the right fit for them. That is something that my family stressed to me. That I need to take into account what is best for me as an athlete, as a student, and as a person. Iowa State fit all of those for me,” Allen said. "I am going into Mechanical Engineering as my intended major, and at Iowa State it is the biggest major on campus. That is a no-brainer for me. They are one of the best engineering programs in the Midwest."
Iowa State was always on Allen’s mind, but the Cyclones jumped out front thanks to a new coaching staff.
"The real turning point for me was the new coaching staff that came in," Allen said. "They were originally at Toledo. My position coach (Alex Golesh) actually offered me at Illinois, but with the new staff from Toledo coming over, he joined them. I was ecstatic when he got that position because I knew that it was kind of meant to be."
Now Allen has made official the biggest decision of his young life, which means he can relax and focus on finishing out his basketball season.
"It has been a struggle (with) a lot of stress and a lot of pressure, but I was never really too concerned about it because I knew that all of my decisions were going to be great options. It is not like I had a right answer and wrong answer," Allen said. "Once I sat down with my family and had it sorted out a couple days ago, I felt like I had a huge weight off my shoulders."
