Dallin Rogers (reprinted from an article in the Sacramento Bee, 25 Aug 2006)
It was almost guaranteed that Dallin Rogers would earn an athletic scholarship. The question was in which sport. An elite basketball and football player at Union Mine, Rogers, a returning senior, recently verbally committed to the University of Utah and plans to play football starting in 2010 after serving on a Mormon mission. "It was a surprise to me because (basketball was) where I thought his heart was," said his mother, Jana Rogers. Rogers, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound tight end, made the decision after playing in AAU basketball tournaments in Las Vegas and Los Angeles last month. "I just came home from those tournaments and got excited about football and the upcoming season," Rogers said.
Feelings, however, sometimes change, so Rogers knows his could, too. Right now, he said his decision to attend Utah is firm, regardless of whether other schools continue to recruit him. He said he liked Utah's coaching staff because it supported his religious beliefs. "It's the only place that has truly supported me in my mission commitment," said Rogers, who has been recruited by schools in the Pacific-10 and Mountain West conferences.
But while Utah is the choice as his future school, he admits playing basketball for the Utes isn't totally out of the picture. "(Football is) where I'm at right now," he said. "I could get the feeling again to play basketball. But one thing is certain: It looks like I'm going to attend Utah." Last season, Rogers caught 62 passes for 1,107 yards, 22nd best in the state and tops in the Sac-Joaquin Section. He also had seven touchdowns. He recorded at least five catches and at least 111 yards five times. He had a season-best 156 yards on seven catches in a 36-30 loss to Colfax.
Rogers was named to the Cal-Hi Sports magazine All-State Underclassmen team.
