Harvey Unga and Brandon Davies.

There is the law, there are the NCAA regulations, there is the church rules and then there's BYU's HC.

I don't believe either of the gentleman above entered BYU with any intention to break the HC. I don't think any do.

However there were spiritual transgressions. Due to those transgressions there were church repercussions. However there were also HC repurcussions. Repercussions that had monumental effects on these student athletes and their teams and at least in one case, literally destroyed that persons athletic career potential.

I can definitely see how Utah would use this in recruiting. I would. Come to Utah. Be Mormon. Be a football player and student. Be able to keep your religious beliefs and repurcussions in the realm of your church and focus on football and school work, etc.

And if you make a mistake in your faiths tenets? We leave that up to you and your faith leaders.

Obey the law, meet the NCAA standards and school standards and obey team football centric rules.

And if you are a poly and want to wear long hair? Be my guest. If you don't shave? No ones going to stop you from taking a test.

"At Utah you have the freedom to live your faith and be responsible to your faith ONLY for your spiritual worthiness. No one here is going to kick you out for making spiritual mistakes."

I can definitely see why an lds kid who never plans on spiritually transgressing but doesn't know (as no one knows) what the future may hold or what choices may be presented to them, may not want to put their athletic and collegiate future at stake for religious rules and a double whammy of ecclesiastical punishments AND secular career affecting punishments for religious infractions.

Many lds people believe the rules of the church are enough. Let the church deal with the church and the football team deal with the football and the school deal with the school.

That would definitely make Utah very attractive to many fine, upstanding and active lds.

I guess I could see Utah saying something along the lines of;

At Utah you can be lds, live the gospel as worthily as anybody at BYU (and that's true) play football and go to school and if you happen to mess up spiritually, you will be answerable to your church alone.

At BYU you can be lds and live the gospel however you'll have to sign an agreement with additional rules and regulations, many unrelated to spiritual worthiness, but that if you break will not only have religious repercussions but also cost you your education and cost you your athletic career.

At Utah, be free to be lds.
At BYU be forced to live LDS or be kicked out of school and off the team.

Although dirty, I'd be telling every recruit that if I was Utah because sadly it's true and there are not a few examples of severe punishments due to making religious mistakes.

Just my opinion and trying to interpret what may be behind his statement.