The host of a popular West Virginia Mountaineers podcast traveled to Provo ahead of the Mountaineers’ 38-24 loss to BYU on Saturday and had his life changed.
Paul Rockel, the host of “Locked On West Virginia,” visited Utah on a trip organized by Explore Utah Valley. He livestreamed on YouTube on Friday before the game and recapped his visit.
Rockel, also known as “Mountaineer Paul,” stopped by LaVell Edwards Stadium, BYUtv Sports Nation, Sundance Resort and several Provo restaurants.
“Overall, guys, the point is Provo is a place where there’s more to do than just go to a football game. It’s literally a place where people love you to life. They treat you like gold and live life the way it’s supposed to be lived. A matter of fact, they helped me change my life in a really interesting way,” Rockel said.
Rockel is not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but he was impressed by the spiritual aspect of Provo.
“If there’s anything that I could say about Provo it’s that you’re going to feel the spirit of God while you’re there if you’re a Christian. And I don’t get religious and political in this channel really at all but I do want to point that out,” he said.
Following his trip, Rockel ordered a copy of the Book of Mormon to learn more about the beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ, the sponsoring faith of BYU.
“I want to read it. At the very least, I want to be open-minded, and I think it’s important to do that,” he said.
Rockel, who grew up Christian, has felt his relationship with God change as a result of his time in Provo.
“But my relationship with God, it’s gotten stronger since I went there, and I would say that is the No. 1 thing that you could gain from going there as well. So, hopefully, you guys don’t mind that I brought that stuff up. I’m not here to try to preach at anybody. I’m just saying that it was an awesome experience.”
Prior to his trip, Rockel felt that “one of the things that’s been lacking in my life is the spirituality,” he said.
He called what he experienced in Provo “eye-opening.”
“Me seeing other people practice these things on a daily basis like that was truly eye-opening for me. Everybody in that town, lives it for the most part. It was very obvious by the way you were treated. It’s not typical around the country,” he said.
Rockel thanked Explore Utah Valley for the opportunity. His full video recapping his trip to Utah can be viewed below.