If you would’ve told me two years ago that Jordy would be my starting receiver I would’ve called you crazy 'cause he hated football. – Timpview QB Britain Covey
PROVO — Like most younger siblings, Jordan Espinoza was happy to follow the athletic path of his older brothers. They played basketball and soccer, so growing up that’s just what Espinoza did too.
Football was never on his radar. In fact, he didn’t even like pointy ball.
Then one day in the summer before his junior year, peer pressure from his three best friends convinced him to give the sport a try.
Two years later he’s become one of the most dynamic wide receivers in Utah, and in the 4A semifinals last week the Timpview receiver set a new playoff semifinal record with 240 receiving yards.
His quarterback Britain Covey was as thrilled as anyone. Covey's initial prodding and prying convinced Espinoza to give football a try in the first place, and countless hours throwing passes groomed Espinoza into a huge asset for the T-Birds’ offense.
“If you would’ve told me two years ago that Jordy would be my starting receiver I would’ve called you crazy 'cause he hated football,” said Covey.
Even though Espinoza didn’t like pointy-ball football, what he did enjoy was hanging out with his friends, and that bond is ultimately what got him to give football a try.
Espinoza started hanging out with his three best friends — Covey, Devin Kaufusi and Gabe Reid — while playing on Timpview’s freshman basketball team. The trio were also standout football players, and they always believed Espinoza could be an excellent football player too.
After basketball season, though, Espinoza shifted his focus to soccer and track, while Covey, Kaufusi and Reid shifted theirs to the upcoming football season.
About a month before the start of the 2013 football season, Covey finally convinced Espinoza to join him for an early-morning practice. Espinoza didn’t really want to go, but Covey was persuasive. Espinoza said he’d go to one practice, which then turned into two, three and four practices.
Before he knew it, Espinoza had his own jersey and was a cornerback on the team.
“Just that brotherhood, just being here, I kind of felt like I was going to be left out if I wasn’t part of football,” said Espinoza.
Football wasn’t that fun initially. Espinoza had the speed and athleticism to be a great receiver, but there was one problem — he couldn’t catch.
“He was playing corner at first. He didn’t have any hands,” joked Covey. “He was a guy with 4.5 speed running around who couldn’t catch the ball.”
Sensing Espinoza’s potential, Covey made it a priority to work with his buddy after practice all last season. Whether it was in Covey’s backyard or Timpview’s field, the two played catch whenever possible.
Even though Espinoza never made a contribution to Timpview’s varsity team, coach Cary Whittingham could sense things starting to click for the player midway through the season.
“It was obvious there was ability,” said Whittingham. “There’s a lot of guys that have speed and athleticism and it doesn’t translate to playing on the football field, but I started to think (midway through last season) he can be a player.”
Somewhere along the line, football actually became fun for Espinoza.
“I think over time it just became a habit, it became natural to me. I love football now,” said Espinoza.
This season, in his first as a varsity contributor, he’s caught 45 passes for 946 yards and 13 touchdowns. He’s caught a touchdown in every game but three, and in the past two playoff games he’s combined for 410 yards and six touchdowns.
“When people talk about our offense, they talk about Britain Covey a lot. But Brit can have some of that pressure off his shoulders because he has great receivers like Jordy,” said Reid.
A receiver he helped groom himself.
Deseret News prep editor and Real Salt Lake beat writer.