PLEASANT GROVE — Not much of anything has been easy since the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not at Pleasant Grove High or anywhere else for that matter.
Not for the players and their families, not for Pleasant Grove football coach Mark Wootton, and certainly not for the three notable players who have essentially become COVID-19 refugees.
But the goal for everyone involved is to do whatever it takes to make the best of an extraordinary and unfortunate situation.
It’s been close to a month since both Aaron Jones and Darrius Clemons, and their families, left their home state of Oregon to pursue football and other opportunities in Utah. For Sam Leavitt, he’s been here a bit longer but is in the same situation.
And they’re hardly unique.
Many football programs across the state took in out-of-state transfers just weeks before the start of the season due to the disruption of prep football seasons in states such as California, Oregon, Hawaii, Colorado and elsewhere.
“It’s been crazy, but no doubt it’s worth it for us,” Jones told the Deseret News last week. “Fortunately, we have a lot of contacts in the state of Utah and me and my family — we’re very familiar with the state, and we also have a lot of family here.”
Jones’ ties to Utah go way back to when his father, Chris Jones, played football for BYU in the late 1990s. Even though the family has resided in Oregon for some time, the intent was always to find a way back to Utah eventually — a process that was put in motion by the pandemic.
“We love it here and we’ve always loved the state of Utah,” said Aaron Jones. “We’re obviously very familiar with the state, so it made the move a lot easier than it would have been otherwise.”
Both Jones and Clemons played for Westview High in Oregon, along with sophomore quarterback Leavitt, who made the move to Utah and Pleasant Grove at the start of the summer. The Leavitt family’s move within the Pleasant Grove boundaries no doubt led to both Jones and Clemons doing likewise.
Leavitt is the younger brother of former BYU and Utah State player Dallin Leavitt, and his father, Jared Leavitt, played football with Joe Evans at BYU in the early 1990s. Since then, the two have remained close friends. Joe Evans’ son plays for Pleasant Grove, which led to the Leavitt family opting to move within the program’s boundaries.
Sam Leavitt battled to become the Vikings’ starting quarterback this season as a sophomore and is grateful for the opportunity.
“It’s tough leaving all we had in Oregon, with friends and everything, but football is so important for all of us, and having that chance to play,” Leavitt said. “I want to show I can play at the next level, so I’m grateful for the opportunity I have here.”
As for Jones, and particularly Clemons, they’ve both already shown enough to warrant collegiate offers.
“It’s tough leaving all we had in Oregon, with friends and everything, but football is so important for all of us.” — Sam Leavitt
Clemons is a 6-foot-3, 195-pound receiver who is rated a four-star prospect by the 24/7 Sports Network. He claims offers from programs such as Michigan, Oregon and Notre Dame, among others. Jones is a 5-10 running back/defensive back prospect who claims offers from BYU, Oregon State, Utah State and Nevada.
“My sister plays basketball for Air Force. My dad played football at BYU and my mom was on the swimming team, so this is what we do to get the opportunity to go to college,” Jones said. “So yeah, I’m definitely looking to have that same opportunity. So taking a year off wasn’t an option, especially since I was hurt all last year.”
Both Jones and Clemons are juniors this season.
While Leavitt and Jones have strong ties to Utah, Clemons did not, but due to a strong friendship with both players, he too made the decision to make the move.
“As soon as Oregon said there wasn’t going to be football, that was it for us, and we headed on out here,” Jones said. “And for Darrius — we’re tight and like best friends. We’ve done everything together since like the fifth grade, so where I go, he goes, and where he goes, I go. So we didn’t have to think much on coming on out here.”
High school kids deciding to move is one thing, but for their parents making the move, it’s a lot more complicated.
“It’s a big, big, big sacrifice for these parents, and one that can be quite expensive,” Wootton said. “It’s tough, because I know everything that goes into it and what these kids have put into playing football, and that goes for the families, too. So you want to help, while doing it the right way.”
A big worry for Wootton, and most other coaches involved, is that the tremendous influx of out-of-state transfers could upset team chemistry. As a coach who has been a strong proponent of fielding a team full of homegrown talent, Wootton is perhaps even more mindful up upsetting team chemistry than most.
“I hate recruiting, so I obviously hate any perception that might be there that we went out and pursued these guys,” Wootton said. “But at the same time, you recognize how truly tough it is for these kids who wouldn’t have the chance to play had they not made the big move with their families.”
So far it’s worked out well for the Vikings, with all three Oregon transfers playing big roles in the team’s 2-0 start to the season.
“We’ve loved it here so far,” Clemons said. “I’m so grateful to have this opportunity and I know there’s a ton of players out there who don’t have the opportunity we have here, so you definitely keep that in mind and my new teammates have been great. We’ve all felt really welcome.”