Utah football may have found its next Britain Covey in freshman Mikey Matthews

SALT LAKE CITY — It didn't take long for Utah football head coach Kyle Whittingham to make the comparison.

After the first day of spring football at the end of March, Whittingham dropped the name of freshman wide receiver Mikey Matthews as an incoming player to watch in the coming weeks of camp. But the veteran head coach wasn't done there; he compared Matthews' talent to do-it-all receiver Britain Covey, who now plays for the Philadelphia Eagles.

It's never fair to compare an incoming player to one that will be talked about among a program's fan base for years to come for what he did on the field, but Whittingham made the jump — even if he couched the language a bit.

"Mikey Matthews, the receiver, really has got a lot of quickness; he's reminiscent of Britain Covey," Whittingham said. "I mean, he's not anywhere near that level yet, but that's the type of player he is and can play in the slot. And so, yeah, there's some good things going on."

Anything close to replicating Covey's success on the field for Utah on offense (or special teams) would be a major win for a program seeking to build off back-to-back Pac-12 titles and as it attempts to maintain its standing atop the conference for the 2023 season. The expectations and comparison aren't lost on the freshman receiver, either.

"I feel like it's a lot of expectations I've gotta come across," Matthews said. "Covey's a great player — I mean, look where he's at: NFL, Eagles, Super Bowl. So I feel like I've got a lot of high expectations I've gotta come across, and I've just got to keep grinding and be consistent every day."

Whittingham doesn't expect Matthews to be Covey on Day 1, or even by Game 1 when Utah welcomes Florida to Rice-Eccles Stadium on Aug. 31. But having Matthews available to learn during spring camp as a freshman doesn't hurt, either.

Already, Matthews has been one of the standouts on offense during spring. He hasn't mastered the playbook or all the wrinkles of a complex Andy Ludwig offense, but he's making plays on the field that have showcased who he can become with more repetition. And there's hope from the coaching staff that Matthews will be one to emerge early as a playmaker on the field.

"Mikey's a pretty sharp kid, No. 1. You could tell he studies football — he cares," wide receiver coach Alvis Whitted said. "He came from a really good program and a coach that coached him at his high school, obviously, played in the league as well, so he's been taught very well and understands the game. I think that's a good head start for him."

But it's all about "detail" for Matthews, Whitted said. Once he can get the details down of Utah's offense in comfortable fashion, there's a lot to like about his chances on the team.

"This offense, it starts with the alignment, the assignment, the details of that. And once he continues to get that, he'll be able to play fast," Whitted added. "But I love his ball skills, his talent, short area quickness, understands the game — he understands space and how to get over. So it's just a matter of getting the reps and really just seeing how he can progress when given the opportunity."

And while the comparison to Covey has been made early, and it's one Matthews is not afraid to embrace, his hope is to make a name for himself. He's not the next Britain Covey; he's Mikey Matthews, a dynamic wide receiver that is his own player.

Matthews is a former four-star recruit by 247Sports and Rivals out of Irvine, California. For much of his recruitment, Matthews felt he went "under recruited" as a then three-star talent, according to the various rating services, even as he committed to Utah. But a breakout performance at the Under Armour All-America game turned some heads and helped give him a bump in the recruiting ratings.

The highlight of the week was when Matthews beat five-star Colorado cornerback signee Cormani McClain during a practice session for a touchdown. He later added a touchdown in the game off a pass from Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold.

Matthews was given the opportunity, and he stepped up on the big stage. But Matthews isn't content with his past success; he recognizes there's a long journey ahead to make a name for himself, and he's just barely at the beginning of the process.

"I feel like I was pretty under recruited when I came up, but after that UA game I finally like burst — came out of nowhere," Matthews said. "I've just got to keep making a name for myself, and just keep my head down and just trust God, just let him lead the path. ... Whatever the team needs to utilize, I'll just go wherever they need me. Team player for sure."

And more importantly, especially as a freshman — the new guy in the system — it's all about adapting to the unfamiliar, the increased level of competition, and the skill needed to compete at the collegiate level.

"It's very mentally challenging," Matthews said. "A lot of plays are different — lots of different concepts for me from high school to here. Just trying to get all little details, like getting my depth, making sure I cross the backers face and all that, so all that stuff is all mentally hard for me, because I'm not used to that. In high school, you can just run and get the ball and go score."

Utah hopes Matthews eventually gets to the point where his route running will lead to a lot of scores for them, too.

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