Britain Covey stepped onto the grass in his parent’s backyard in Provo, gloves on, cleats all tied up, and sprinted off the makeshift line of scrimmage. It was there, a week-and-a-half after he came home from his two-year LDS Church mission in March, that he realized it wasn’t going to be a cinch.
And for a guy who has made the most complex of plays on the field always seem effortless, that was the sudden harsh reality of post-mission life. Following two years as a missionary in Chile, where Covey still jokes that the Chilean homemade bread added 10 pounds of fat on his body, the Utah wide receiver had to capitalize on the few months ahead in order to arrive on campus as he did this week close to optimal shape.