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Last year, BYU offensive lineman Connor Pay wrestled with his options: Return to play as a senior for the Cougars or enter the NFL draft.
Pay chose to return and it was a magical season, as BYU went 11-2 and finished ranked No. 13 in the country in the AP poll.
But Pay’s comment at the end of the year that he experienced “confirmation after confirmation all season long, because it was a really hard decision” seemed to indicate that faith played a role in his decision and in the evidence he saw that it was the right one.
Faith is no passive or simple thing for Pay.
He experienced a faith crisis when his grandfather, Dennis Pay, died from cancer after Connor Pay, who was a teenager, had received a spiritual confirmation from God that his grandfather would live.
He talked in depth about that struggle and the rewarding return to faith and subsequent decision to serve a mission for a video segment produced by the BYUtv program “Deep Blue.”
While Pay was preparing for this week’s NFL Draft, he confirmed that his decision to return to BYU last fall was guided by faith, particularly through his prayers and impressions about the new offensive line coach, TJ Woods.
“It started and ended with God, and he was a part of it every step of the way,” Pay said.
He wanted to be certain that Woods could help him achieve his goals.
“I feel like I had some pretty cool answers to prayers that he was the person that was going to be able to help me,” Pay said. “Then going through spring ball was really a confirmation of the impressions that I had already been receiving.”
Pay said he saw his teammates buy in more than ever before to head coach Kalani Sitake’s culture of love and learn.
“He presents it as love and learn, but if you really break it down to its core elements, it is the gospel of Jesus Christ,” Pay said. “When I saw that culture start to take over the team, it meant there was more buy in from the team into the gospel of Jesus Christ and living it. That was another confirmation that I’d made the right decision.”
He said there was a team-wide dedication to the mission of BYU, and he appreciated living and playing in that environment.
“That all played a big role in me feeling comfortable again with where we were at and with where I was at. That was a huge deal as well,” he said.
There were off-the-field confirmations, too, like launching the Two Point Conversion podcast with wide receiver Chase Roberts, in which the two players discuss gospel topics. In the most recent episode this week, they interviewed Pay’s brother, Trevor, who shared a powerful story on the power of prayer from his mission.
“That’s been a huge blessing for me in my life, just getting to dive into the scriptures, meet these awesome guests and get to talk about the gospel, which is what I’m really passionate about, first and foremost. That opportunity that wouldn’t have been there if I had left,” he said.
Pay graduated from BYU’s Marriott School of Business with a degree in entrepreneurial management.
Pay is listed 61st among centers in the draft by Dane Brugler’s “The Beast,” an NFL Draft guide from The Athletic. If a team doesn’t draft him, he can sign as a free agent after the draft.
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Behind the Scenes
