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“God is happiest when His children are at play.” — The Legend of Bagger Vance
Philadelphia Eagles return specialist Britain Covey, a returned missionary, is hoping to put an exclamation point on his NFL rookie season with an Eagles win at Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12 (YouTube screengrab)
Latter-day Saint NFL rookie & ‘highlight machine’ Britain Covey hoping to notch a few Super Bowl memories
The returned missionary and Utah Ute legend is expected to return punts for the Philadelphia Eagles in football’s biggest game
By Jason Swensen
10 Feb 2023
There have been bigger and stronger Latter-day Saint football players than Britain Covey to compete in the Super Bowl.
Faster? Maybe.
But has any Church member talented enough to suit up on a Super Bowl Sunday been, by almost any definition, as fun as Covey — a returned missionary and NFL rookie expected to return punts for the Philadelphia Eagles during Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, Feb. 12.
Covey’s joyful, preternatural ability to slip, shake, juke, ankle-break, dodge and shimmy past much, much bigger men earned him legend status at Utah’s Timpview High School and, later, at the University of Utah.
Who knows? Maybe a late-game punt return for a TD on Sunday will secure his spot in Eagles’ lore.
Football fans of yore once conjured up memories to recall their heroes’ memorable moments. Now we have YouTube.
So, in anticipation of Covey’s next unforgettable moment, here are a few YouTube highlights from his remarkable high school and college career — mixed in with an “Elder Covey” missionary message and even a seminary scripture mastery clip:
Utah’s High School 2014 Mr. Football, Covey claimed “Friday Night Lights” as his own with one crazy touchdown after another.
Covey also demonstrated he had “seminary scripture mastery” game in high school.
It didn’t take long for Covey to introduce himself to big-time college football — as evidenced by his freshman highlights versus Pac12 rival USC.
While serving his mission in Chile, Elder Covey and his “linebacker” companion dispatched a video message to his Utah Ute teammates at the beginning of the 2017 season.
Utah football fans were wise to grab their snacks prior to Ute games. Slip out during game play and you risked missing an exhilarating Covey moment that like this punt return for a touchdown over highly-ranked Oregon.
Perhaps Covey’s most memorable college football moments came in front of the New Year’s Day national television audience watching the 2022 Rose Bowl – the “Grandaddy of the Them All.”
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​He notched the game’s first touchdown with an 18-yard touchdown reception.
Later in the first half of the Rose Bowl, Covey found the endzone once again with an electrifying 97-yard kickoff return against Ohio State.
The Eagles’ rookie is fast becoming a fan favorite in Philly. Here’s a news clip of Covey’s surprise appearance at an elementary school rally prior to Sunday’s Super Bowl.