Here is my first thought: Whitt is talking about having one of the best ST’s in the country with Covey returning punts. That is great news.
I am only going to talk about football here, not anythig to do with how a mission has helped Covey overall, BUT as a football move, it was a terrible decision.
He had a great freshman year. Had he stayed home, he would have worked on his body all winter/summer and been prepped for a great sophomore year.
Instead he went on a mission. Came home light, went right into playing, got hurt. Spent all offseason rehabbing and not working on his body and got hurt again. Again, spent all offseason rehabbing and not working on his body and couldn’t do it and redshirted.
The good news is he has FINALLY worked on his body to get it ready for football at this level. He has never had the chance to do that. That is extra mass so it hurts less when he gets hit. Extra mass to keep you on your feet. Extra muscle to help with the reflexes.
I honestly believe we will see the best Covey we have ever seen. He has his body right. He has a system that will highlight his strengths. And most importantly, HE HAS TALENT AROUND HIM.
When he was a freshman and then again his sophomore year, he was the main threat. Everyone gameplanned for him and beat him up. NOW? Bryan Thompson is a better WR than Covey is. Kuithe is as good of a threat as Covey. The RB’s are a real threat in many ways. IF they gang up on Covey like they did his sophomore year, we will kill teams with the talent around him.
We will ask Covey to do less, but when he does things, he will have more space than he has had before AND his body will be better prepared to be successful.
I think Covey has a monster year for us. Maybe not stat wise, but big play wise. And I don’t think he gets hurt with the reduced load, he stays healthy, gets his body in even better shape and in 2021 he is an absolute monster. He will be a star in 2021.
Utah @ 
Colorado 
.
