Matt Foley and his improbable journey as BYU's long snapper

Laura Seitz, Deseret News

PROVO — While he was growing up in Southern California, Matt Foley loathed BYU.

These days, he wears his undying love for BYU, and his singular role in the football program, permanently on his sleeve — actually on his left arm — in the form of a large, colorful tattoo.

Yet Foley’s newfound affection for BYU is more than skin deep.

“Once I started looking into the team and the school,” Foley said, “I knew this is where I wanted to be.”

So how did he go from harboring a strong aversion for the Cougars to becoming an indispensable part of their special teams unit?

Well, maybe that’s the kind of perspective a guy gets when he spends hours looking at life upside down and…