Burnsville’s Chase Roullier is settling in at Wyoming, where he’s ‘loving every minute.’
By AARON PAITICH Special to the Star Tribune AUGUST 10, 2012 — 2:26PM
The recruiting process can be a daunting task, especially when it comes to meticulous decision-makers such as Burnsville’s Chase Roullier.
So much to consider, so little time.
“I found it particularly stressful because I’m the type of person that really wants to make sure I’m making the right decision, and the offers would come and go faster than I was able to figure out whether the college was the right fit,” Roullier said.
The 6-4, 290-pound lineman received initial offers from Western Michigan, Akron, Toledo, Northern Iowa and North Dakota State. But before he was ready to make a decision, the options had vanished. Just like that.
Burnsville coach Tyler Krebs, who just finished his first season at the south suburban school, knows the process can be a finicky one.
“It’s an interesting game,” Krebs said. “They offer a ton early, and then once they get filled up, those [offers] shrivel up. As a coach you try to help students understand how that process works.”
It made for an even more stressful time for Roullier, a two-sport athlete who captained both the Blaze football and basketball teams. He wondered if any other offers of that caliber would come along.
“It didn’t help when all of my teammates would ask me who was on the top of my list all of the time,” said Roullier, a three-year varsity starter. “The truth was that that list was constantly changing throughout the recruiting process.”
In the end, Wyoming had a late opening and made a hard push to sign Roullier. He visited the campus, and finally got that “feeling.” He accepted a full football scholarship and is now in Laramie with the rest of the team.
Turns out being patient and particular paid off after all.
“It really didn’t click until I came on my visit here. There was just something about Wyoming that I knew I had to come here,” said Roullier, who was nationally recognized with a two-star rating from ESPN.com. “It was a very high-level of football. I really liked the coaches, the academics are great and the facilities are top of the line. It was just the best fit for me academically and athletically.”
Krebs believes the Cowboys will be rewarded with their new recruit. Prior to taking over as coach at Burnsville, Krebs spent 14 years as the defensive coordinator at Eastview. So he was familiar with the impact Roullier has had in games.
Krebs learned that Roullier was voted as a captain for the 2011 season, and immediately found out why. The Burnsville team was young, returning just two starters on offense and two on defense. With the team lacking depth, the coaching staff asked Roullier to play on both offense and defense.
“In our conference, to ask a guy that’s 300 pounds to play both ways is a lot,” Krebs said.
Roullier not only obliged, he thrived.
“Opposing coaches will tell you that he was really a force in there,” Krebs added. “When we took him out, it was a huge difference. He was an impact player, definitely.”
Roullier hopes to make an impact with Wyoming as well. Whether or not he redshirts his freshman year, he’s working on getting bigger and stronger. The experience has been everything he hoped for.
“And it’s been great so far,” he said. “Fall camp is as hard as everyone makes it seem, but I’m loving every minute of it.”
