PROVO — Harris LaChance, a 6-foot-8, 275-pound lineman from Herriman High, has officially obtained clearance to attend BYU for the 2018 winter semester, according to family members.

LaChance signed a Letter of Intent with Utah State before serving an LDS Church mission to Nashville, Tennessee, Spanish speaking. Upon his return June 7, 2017, USU didn’t have a scholarship for him in the fall. This prompted him to explore opportunities at Utah and BYU.

After discussions with BYU offensive line coach Mike Empey and head coach Kalani Sitake, he accepted an offer to enroll at BYU in 2018 and will be eligible to play this coming season.

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The plan, however, required LaChance to wait out a somewhat long period while BYU admissions examined his high school academics, an ever-more restrictive process that compares GPAs and ACT or SAT scores with a huge pool of incoming freshmen. He was accepted this week.

It was only a week ago he was working out at Herriman High with his shirt off when a Utah coach came in, saw him and told him they would take him immediately if he were to sign, according to his grandfather Hugh Gregson of Orem. “Harris decided to give BYU a few more days and then he got the news and he is excited and elated to be part of the BYU football,” said Gregson.

An all-state defensive lineman at Herriman, LaChance is slated to play offensive tackle at BYU. Since returning from his mission weighing 222 pounds, he has added 42 pounds working out with a private trainer.

“I think I will play at 280,” LaChance told the Deseret News a month ago. He was recruited by Justin Ena at Utah and both Ed Lamb and Empey at BYU.

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