Lee's Otersen accepts football scholarship to VMI

Lee's Otersen accepts football scholarship to VMI
By: Dave Buschenfeldt

Lee senior Chris Otersen has accepted a scholarship to the Virginia Military Institute. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Otersen was recruited by VMI as a quarterback, but will have a chance to try out as a wide receiver as well.
"I'm ecstatic," Otersen said. "I've been working my whole life to play college football."

VMI was looking for an experienced option quarterback, and the coaching staff liked what it saw out of Otersen, who started at that position for the first time in 2006.

"His first year was just a taste of what he can do," Lancers coach Rob Everett said of Otersen, who played wide receiver on the varsity team as a sophomore and junior. "He's big, he's got good speed and he's a smart football player."

Otersen was a receiver for two seasons while Greg Jones lined up under center for Lee, but he always has been a quarterback. He proved that last season, running the option offense to near-perfection. The senior rushed for 686 yards and seven touchdowns and threw for 650 yards and six touchdowns.

"It shows his work ethic and how he's able to adapt and be coachable," Everett said. "Running the option is hard for anyone. Running it as well as he did, he was reading everything. He ran our offense. It's a perfect example of what kind of player he is."

Otersen is happy to be attending VMI because he knows it offers much more than just football.

"It has a broad range of things that I'm interested in," he said. "It's a military school and it has a great academic curriculum. It offers a lot."

VMI graduated one quarterback and had another leave the program for personal reasons, so Otersen feels he has a chance to make an immediate impact on the program.

"I'm going to get into the mix of things and get comfortable with the program," he said. "They're looking for someone to fill the void and I'll be more than happy to jump into the starting role."

Said Everett, "VMI is looking for a true option guy. They want to get a guy in there who can run it for 3-4 years. I think Chris has got a good chance."