A wise old Jedi once said, ‘size matters not,’ and Covey takes that advice to heart. At 5'8" and 165-pounds, Covey’s size does not instantly scream NFL wide receiver, where the average size of most professional WR’s tip the scales at over six feet and 200-pounds.
“I realized early on people were going to view my height and my size pretty much one of two ways: It was going to be the detriment, the weakness in my game,” Covey said. “Some teams told me, ‘We’re going to have to bulk you up if you decide to come to play here.' Or ‘you’re going to have to put on some weight, some muscle.’ And I always steered away from those schools because I’ve always viewed my size as an advantage.” At the University of Utah, they saw the talent of Covey and his size as an advantage, not a detriment.
Covey may be young, but he comes across wiser than his years. He credited much of that to the mentorship of family (his father and grandfather were two key influences) and teachers throughout his life. And while he’s also experienced adversity both physically and personally in recent years, all that’s come Covey’s way served as learnings; he channels to make himself a stronger leader.
Covey and his team faced the unexpected passing of two teammates in 2021. Moving forward was difficult, but when one player’s mom addressed the team, it became a healing moment. “You felt guilty enjoying yourself at football,” Covey said. “You felt guilty smiling. You felt guilty moving forward and stuff. And you want to honor them, so she kind of just gave us that permission. She was like, ‘He would want you to smile.’ And that permission led Covey and his teammates to a bond unlike any of his previous teams’ bonds.
While Covey’s future is unwritten, a story is coming together, and it looks to be a tale worth telling.
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