BYU football: Covey excited about catching passes for Y.

"When he was recruited here, we needed a defensive back. That was our biggest need," said coach Bronco Mendenhall. "He agreed to play that, and I promised him he'd have the chance to play quarterback when he came off of his mission. Last year was his opportunity to do that."

Mendenhall appreciates Covey's desire to help the program.

"I'm really proud of Stephen," he said. "I think Stephen wants to play and contribute. He's a great young man. He's a fantastic leader. He's completely reliable, and he's a good athlete. We'll use him any way we can. Besides receiver, I think he'll return kicks."

Covey is looking forward to participating on special teams. "I'm really excited about the chance to return punts and kickoffs," he said. "I hope I can have some opportunities to do that because I feel one of my strengths is my quickness and my ability to evade people. I'm hoping this upcoming year I get some chances to show what I can do."

That Covey has never played receiver doesn't concern Mendenhall. "It doesn't because he's fast, he's tough, he has good hands, he's a good athlete and he's smart," the coach said.

And, who knows? Maybe Covey's dream of playing quarterback isn't over yet.

E-MAIL: jeffc@desnews.com