EUGENE -- In late July, as Darren Carrington and his family were searching for a landing spot for the dismissed Oregon receiver, one of their first stops was a visit to Utah's campus in Salt Lake City.

Once there, the family was given lanyards to identify them as important visitors. On recruiting visits, such lanyards often are customized to feature a player's headshot or the stadium.

The Utes went a different direction. Instead, they used a photo taken eight months earlier, of Carrington catching Oregon's game-winning touchdown to upset Utah at Rice-Eccles Stadium with two seconds left in regulation.

"I couldn't believe it," the receiver's father, Darren Carrington Sr., said in a phone interview this week with The Oregonian/OregonLive, laughing at the memory. He recalled thinking, "I think they're all past it."

It was Utah's way of addressing the potential awkwardness of his transfer head-on, with a touch of humor, knowing that the Utes would face Oregon come Saturday at Autzen Stadium (2:45 p.m., Pac-12 Networks). Bygones were bygones. Less than a year after Carrington's catch sunk Utah's hope of a 2016 Pac-12 South title, the Utes pursued him expressly to bolster their chances in 2017. And Carrington needed a place to play his final year of eligibility.

But the photo choice was also a reminder that even though the Utes were ready to embrace Carrington and provide a fresh start, it didn't mean his past could be forgotten, either.

Prior to the DUII arrest, Carrington had been in trouble in Eugene for failing a drug test, an open container citation while underage and an accusation of breaking a man's arm -- no charges were ever filed by Eugene police. (Through a Utah spokesperson, Carrington declined an interview request.)

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said this week that Carrington has been a "perfect citizen" off the field in his short time on campus in addition to Utah's biggest receiving threat on it. He ranks among the country's top 22 receivers in receiving yards (649), yards per game (92.7) and catches per game (6.4), despite Utah's passing game going dry during a three-game losing streak.

On Saturday, he'll have a chance to add to those totals against his former team. Carrington told reporters in Salt Lake City this week he expects to hear boos, but it won't be the first time he's come out of Autzen's visiting locker room -- it was where he dressed for April's UO spring game, too.

"Sometimes we learn more from our mistakes than our successes," Carrington Sr. said. He said he has seen a difference in his son, citing an "appreciation that he has just for having another chance that has so far turned out pretty good. I've definitely seen a difference in him. I feel like he's grown, he's grown up from the things he did. He understands that he's a leader, the oldest receiver. It's been cool to see him have that opportunity."

Willie Taggart took the Oregon job in December saying he would be a strict disciplinarian, and Carrington's dismissal was seen as a major test of his policies. Carrington Sr. said he and his family have "no hard feelings."

"I don't have any ill feelings toward him on the decision that had to be made and if I had to do it all over again I would have no problem with having my son or someone else play for him," Carrington Sr. said. "It was a decision they felt they had to make. I didn't know Taggart for a long time, but I'm a pretty good judge of character and just in talking with him I really feel like he liked D, he had big plans for him this season.

"But again, it was a decision that had to be made. Darren has respected that decision, my family has respected that decision and you continue to move on. If I see Taggart, I'm not going to shy away. I'm going to go up and give him a big hug. ... Hopefully I'll see him with a big smile on my face after Utah takes care of business."

The opportunity at Utah came with a short leash, Whittingham said in July, prior to the transfer becoming official.

In addition to attending court-ordered meetings that resulted from his no-contest plea -- in Oregon, those who plead no-contest in DUII cases attend panels with victims of driving under the influence -- the receiver meets with his coaches on a regular basis and a team psychologist, Carrington Sr. said.

Taggart called facing Carrington "not a best-case scenario." Teammates such as corner Arrion Springs and receiver Charles Nelson said they hadn't talked with Carrington since he'd left, while Ducks safety Tyree Robinson, a close friend of Carrington's from San Diego, noted "it's going to be weird, but a fun one."

But Taggart added he felt it was the "right thing was to let him go wherever he decided to go" as a graduate transfer.

"Did it bother me? Not necessarily," the UO coach said. "It bothered me he got in the situation he did because I wanted him to stay clean and not get into those situations. The kid has a bright future and I want him to continue to grow."

-- Andrew Greif

agreif@oregonian.com

@andrewgreif