Covey’s future

[ProudUte]

We have all heard that Covey likely will hang it up at the end of the season.  We also know he wants to coach.  What would I do if I was KW?

I would offer him a GA position next season, with a promise to promote him to a full-time position when one opens up.  We need Scalley to remain a Ute.  He would be a great recruiter when going for the local kids and he knows the game as well as any player that I remember.  

I would be perfectly content with Covey becoming our offensive coordinator before he is 30 and an eventual head coach here at Utah.  He has a great football mind, has passion for the game, and is a great people person.

 

[UteFanatic]

Totally agree. He needs to be a Utah GA. Is this a possibility? Has he expressed interest in coaching?

[Larry B]

Scalley or Covey?

[Central Coast Ute]

He meant Covey.

I’m not convinced he has to be OC before 30. That would give him 5 years to work his way through being a GA and a position coach. Brian Johnson was a great QB and a good QB coach for Utah and he’s highly intelligent. However, he was promoted to OC too soon. Give it time, let him work on his craft before throwing him to the wolves.

[ProudUte]

Johnson was made OC before he turned 25.  It was a bit soon for him.  But, it has worked out well for BJ.

I think Covey could be ready by 30.  He has a high football IQ.  You can see this when he is interviewed.

[Central Coast Ute]

Covey is almost 25 right now. Age doesn’t neccesarily matter, experience does. Shah started coaching later in life. Whitt has said had he started earlier, he’d be a DC by now.
It didn’t really work out for BJ. It could have derailed his career. He was in over his head and Whitt had to bring in Erickson to be Co-Coordinators. BJ then had to leave the next year and demote to QB coach for his new team. Thankfully, someone was willing to take him but that’s because they knew him from when he was a player.

[chinngiskhaan]

Kyle was adamant that Brian Johnson had the best football mind of any player he had ever met. Went so far as to say that his football mind was easily better than Alex Smith, and this is when Brian was still 17. Kyle had/has an extremely high opinion of Brian.

Covey is very bright. He and Brian are actually quite similar in regards to their general intelligence level, and their temperament. I’m not sure how Covey compares as far as his football intellect though.

Random story:

I played madden football with that guy a couple of times (Brian)… This was back when he was an underclassman. When a play was made against his team he would go to the instant replay, zoom in on the feet of the players, and explain why their poor footwork was the reason they got beat by their man (along with an explanation of where their feet/hands/body/head should have been in order to put themselves in a position to make a play). I thought about laughing when it happened (over and over again for an hour or so), but I wasn’t sure if he was serious or not. Dude knew just about everything about football, down to defensive back footwork from the time he was 18 or 19 years old… and he cared enough about it all to critique a football game. LOL. Brian is awesome!

[ProudUte]

Sorry.  I fixed that.

[Larry B]

I would be all for him being on the coaching staff. And I think we would need to offer him something right away before another team does.

[MDUte]

Great post Proud. I hope Covey is made a GA as soon as possible. Like Scalley, Covey would be a great asset to the program after he’s done playing. As far as Covey rising to the ranks of OC, I’m sure he’d have no problems with working his way up like everyone else with no particular timetable in mind.

[UtesRule]

I think Covey is going to take a shot at the NFL before jumping in to coaching (which I think he will foe sure end up doing). I’ve heard it on several occasions mentioned the he has NFL aspirations, and since is not getting any younger…seems that would be after this season. Guess we’ll see.

[Tony (admin)]

As a player? Not saying no chance, but no chance. 

[Larry B]

I agree. He’s an excellent college player but he might actually get killed in the NFL. Sometimes I wonder how he gets up after taking some of the hits he takes now.

[Central Coast Ute]

Cole Beasley has made a nice career for himself in the NFL. They’re listed as the same height but Beasley weighs 174 while Covey is listed at 170. If nothing else, he can make a roster as a punt returner.

[chinngiskhaan]

100% speed and agility Covey? Eh, he’d be given a legit shot.

Unfortunately, Covey is not 100% Covey anymore. Go look at his early career highlights. He is WAY quicker and faster then. He still makes guys miss, but he’s lost a step in his ability to accelerate/change direction.

He used to have an elite skill, he does not have an elite skill anymore. He’s still very quick, but there are a lot of very quick dudes that are way bigger and have way more top end speed.

[Charlie Foxtrot]

Hunter Renfrow (Out of Clemson now with the Raiders) is 5′ 10″ 185 lbs.  He returns punts and hasent been killed “yet”.  I think he is a slot receiver as well.  Covey might find a niche spot on some team, I assume punt returns would be his biggest opportunity to get on an NFL rossiter.