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Britain Covey had long said he'd serve an LDS mission after his first year of college, but that was before he led Utah in receiving against Michigan and Utah State, before he returned a punt 77 yards for a touchdown in Fresno, before he caught a pair of touchdown passes in Eugene.
Surely he didn't realize he'd have an impact so soon. Surely now, he'd change his mind.
Right?
Wrong.
Covey expected to play this season and to serve an LDS mission nonetheless, telling The Tribune as much during fall camp.
But rampant speculation compelled the freshman slot wideout from Timpview — who, as it turns out, can be as evasive at this level as he was while scoring 100 touchdowns as a prep — to "confirm" his intentions Tuesday night on Twitter.
"The Lord has blessed me with so much; for me, personally, the least I can do is step away from football for a few years and focus on completely devoted service to Him," he wrote.
His coach and lead recruiter, Kyle Whittingham, said Tuesday that Covey was "always going" in his mind.
"It was never in doubt, regardless of what happened this season. Obviously, he's exceeded expectations in a lot of ways, [but] in some ways, he's done exactly what we hoped he would."
Covey told media Tuesday he'd been "95 percent sure" he'd opt for a mission until making the "official" decision about two weeks ago.
His early success didn't make the call harder for him, he said, but he allowed that "you go on a mission to help people, and I feel like I'm just helping so many people right now, already, through football," before patiently signing autographs for a flock of young admirers.
Covey said he got a kick out of the interest in his plans. Many people tried to talk him out of it, but most seemed to be joking. He was tagged in a couple tweets per day, he said, in the vein of " 'I'll have my son take the discussions if you don't go on a mission,' or things like that."
Still, he considers himself "ropes on the Goodyear Blimp" below the likes of "American Idol" runner-up David Archuleta, who served a two-year mission to Chile, in terms of exposure.
If Covey's experience parallels that of redshirt freshman quarterback Chase Hansen, who like Covey has family ties to BYU and was dogged by speculation that he'd transfer there when he returned from Australia, he may one day need to tweet confirmation that he's still a Ute.
Ex-Bruin reunion
Utah nearly made it two UCLA transfers in as many years this spring, making its pitch to recent graduate wideout Devin Lucien in an in-person visit.
Ultimately, Lucien, a formerly Utah prep recruit at a position of need for the Utes, couldn't pass up the opportunity to play with longtime friend and ASU quarterback Mike Bercovici.
Saturday, former UCLA teammate and now-Utah defensive end Kylie Fitts will try to punish Bercovici for stealing Lucien away.
"It'll be fun to go up against him a little bit, talk a little smack," said Fitts, who made his third straight start against Cal and has 12 tackles, two sacks, four pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
Lucien has been steady but unspectacular for the Sun Devils, totaling 20 receptions for 220 yards and a touchdown in six appearances.
"It's always hard transitioning to another school, but I see him doing good," Fitts said.
Odds-on he's out?
Sports betting website Bovada lists Kyle Whittingham as the favorite to replace Steve Sarkisian at USC, almost twice as likely as Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly or Boise State's Bryan Harsin, and more than twice as likely as any other candidate at 7-2.
Whittingham gave FOX Sports Radio's Jay Mohr his usual response on the subject when quizzed about his interest Tuesday: "I'm focused completely on what we're doing here. I love it at Utah. I've been here 21 years, so I think that pretty much says it all."
Kyle Goon contributed reporting.
mpiper@sltrib.com
Twitter: @matthew_piper