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Provo • Terenn Houk came to a realization a few years ago, and it has nothing to do with the name of the position that he plays on the football field for the 3-2 BYU Cougars. Tight end, inside receiver or slot receiver? That's still open to debate.
What is not arguable is that Houk has become a valuable contributor in 2015. He saved the best for last.
Houk, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound fifth-year senior, says that once he discovered that getting better off the field — in the classroom and around the community — made him better on it, his playing career at BYU blossomed. He's now one of freshman quarterback Tanner Mangum's favorite targets, having caught a career-high six passes for 129 yards in last Friday's 30-13 win over UConn.
"I feel like being at BYU has made me a better person," Houk said last week. "I would tell [non-LDS athletes, such as himself] to just buy into the program. Buy into the system. Don't look at it like you are going to make the team better. Look at it like the program is going to make you a better person."
And it has, by all accounts.
Houk redshirted in 2011 after arriving at BYU as a relatively unknown recruit from Washington's Enumclaw High School, and has had his share of academic struggles. But he has persevered, and now is on track to graduate in December with a degree in sociology and a minor in engineering.
"He is a great player," said fellow pass-catcher Mitch Mathews, who will be forever tied to Houk in BYU lore because when Mathews caught the Hail Mary pass that beat Nebraska, Houk ran over and hugged the referee who was signaling the touchdown.
Teammates say the unbridled enthusiasm that Houk has for football and life in general was symbolized well in that spur-of-the-moment act, a response played out thousands of times on highlight shows around the country.
"That guy always has a smile on his face," said receiver Colby Pearson.
Coach Bronco Mendenhall said Monday he will never forget how Houk was recruited to BYU. Despite a standout career at Enumclaw High, 28 miles east of Tacoma, Houk did not receive a Division I offer before he shined in an all-star game in California in January 2011.
While there, he impressed his roommate, Mountain Crest High's Alex Kuresa, who had committed to BYU. Kuresa, who has since transferred to Portland State and is the 3-1 Vikings' starting quarterback, told BYU coaches they should check Houk out, and they did.
"We did some investigation, and if I remember right, he was their student body president and played well in the game," Mendenhall said. "We thought it would be a great fit. Originally, we thought he was going to be an outside receiver, but he has found a nice niche inside as one of our slots, and he had a nice game [against UConn]."
Houk said it is "kinda weird" that he is still at BYU and the two guys most instrumental in getting him to BYU — Kuresa and fellow Washington native Jake Heaps — are not.
As for the name of the position he plays, he doesn't care what it is called as long as he is catching passes. He caught only two passes for 8 yards as a redshirt freshman in 2012 and a sophomore in 2013 before grabbing 21 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns as a junior.
He often lines up next to the guard, so he could be considered a tight end in Robert Anae's offense.
"You could probably call Terenn Houk a tight end, and, end of story," Mendenhall said, alluding to the fact that BYU still hasn't completed a pass to a "true" tight end this season. "That's probably what I would call him. He doesn't like tight end, because it is not as glamorous. Let's call him the Y. That sounds a little flashier."
Twitter: @drewjay —
About Terenn Houk
• Caught a career-high six passes of 129 yards in Friday's 30-13 win over UConn
• Senior from Enumclaw, Wash., is fifth on team in receptions (15) and third in yards (228)
• Caught 21 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns as a junior
• Referred to BYU by former QB Alex Kuresa, who is now at Portland State