Britain Covey Requested Nate Ritchie’s Locker Be Next To His For One Specific Reason

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Utah football will debut more freshman in 2020 than they have in previous years following a successful 2019 campaign that was filled with a very senior driven roster.

Beware Of Nate Ritchie

Specifically, Utah lost 10 of its 11 starters on the defensive side and new and inexperienced faces will be tasked with attempting to fill the void left by the likes of Bradlee Anae, Jaylon Johnson, Terrel Burgess and Julian Blackmon.

One of those new faces is Nate Ritchie, who has provided to be a bright spot for Kyle Whittingham and the Utah defense throughout camp thus far.

Ritchie, who spent his high school days flying around and causing havoc for the Lone Peak Knights, already has the physical traits to create an immediate impact for Utah standing at 6 feet 3 inches and weighing 200 pounds.

What you need to know about new Utah commit/signee, safety Nate Ritchie (FREE): https://t.co/OLyzU2mMcG

— UteZone (@UteZone) December 18, 2019

Mentor Covey

Fortunately, junior wide receiver Britain Covey knows what it feels like to have the weight of expectation on your shoulders despite being a freshman. In 2015, Covey’s first year playing at the collegiate level, he led the team in receiving yards and catches despite being surrounded by a number of experienced veterans at the wide receiver position.

“I really feel like I learned so much from my freshman season all the way back in, you know, 1980,” Covey joked. “I take a personal responsibility to speak to those guys because I experienced the same thing. For example, I asked for Nate Ritchie’s locker to be right next to mine because Nate is from Utah and he is a member of the church that I am apart of and he is a true freshman with expectations to play and I know what that is like,” Covey added.

Britain Covey requested that Nate Ritchie's locker be next to his.

"I know what it is like being from Utah and having the expectation to provide an immediate impact at the collegiate level. I want to help him through all of that."
– @brit_covey2

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 21, 2020

“I guess I try and help them with the mental aspect of things, I am not their coach so I cannot help them with the physical aspect but there are so many parts of the mental aspect that really are important if you want to come out and contribute early.”

Covey continued to share his insight into the strategy required to get the most of your football career.

“I see this in college and in high school all the time, guys work so hard but a lot of the time they do not work hard at the right things. I think it is important to teach people what will translate directly into the game.”

Utah may be inexperienced at certain positions ahead of the 2020 season but the leadership and character from their older and more seasoned veterans will likely play a significant role in achieving a third consecutive Pac-12 Championship game.