Northern Arizona lands three-star lineman Chase Grohman over Arizona, New Mexico

Northern Arizona did more than add a three-star lineman Wednesday. It landed a trench piece with the size and profile that can actually swing games in the Big Sky.

Chase Grohman, a 6-foot-5, 270-pound interior offensive lineman from American Leadership Academy Gilbert North, chose the Lumberjacks over Arizona and New Mexico. That matters because this was not a courtesy win for NAU. Arizona entered the race later, offering Grohman on May 15, 2025, after Northern Arizona had already established the early lead, and the Lumberjacks still held him off in the end.

That kind of head-to-head result says something about where Northern Arizona is under Brian Wright. Wright was hired Dec. 3, 2023, and his first two seasons produced back-to-back winning records, the program’s first such stretch since 2012-15. NAU’s 15 wins over the last two seasons were its most since 2013-14, and the Lumberjacks returned to the FCS playoffs in 2024 for the first time since 2017. That gives the staff something it did not have in previous cycles: a believable case that a recruit can come to Flagstaff and play meaningful football in November.

Grohman saw that pitch up close. Northern Arizona was the first school to offer him, doing so March 22, 2025 after an early conversation with offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Bryan Larson. Larson, who joined NAU in December 2023 and was promoted before the 2025 season, gave Grohman the clearest reason to trust the fit. NAU’s staff says Larson’s offense ranked 29th nationally in scoring at 31.7 points per game and 31st in total offense at 409.5 yards per game, while the Lumberjacks led the Big Sky in fewest turnovers with 10 and time of possession at 31:43. The line also helped pave the way for 2,593 rushing yards, a concrete development sell for an interior blocker who wants proof, not slogans.

Grohman’s high school profile adds to the appeal. 247Sports lists him as a Class of 2027 lineman from Gilbert, Arizona, and American Leadership Academy Gilbert North finished 11-2 in 2025, pushing into the Arizona 5A title chase before falling to Canyon View. That is a player coming from a program that expects to win, and it is exactly the kind of Arizona prospect NAU has to keep targeting if it wants to stay relevant in the playoff picture.

This is the bigger takeaway: Northern Arizona did not just land a name for a commitment post. It won a regional recruiting battle for a mature blocker at a position that drives everything else. In the Big Sky, that is how you change your ceiling.