Frank Covey has a much different ending in mind for his second season as Prospect’s quarterback.
The Northwestern recruit suffered an ankle injury in the regular-season finale last year and was unable to return for the Class 7A state playoffs.
“I rolled my right ankle pretty bad in Week 9,” Covey said. “I was trying to come back, but I couldn’t really push off my ankle. I definitely couldn’t play with the same explosiveness that I usually do.”
Without Covey, the Knights still found a way to make it all the way to the state semifinals before losing to St. Rita.
“I was missing my guys in the playoffs,” he said. “Not being able to help them was so hard. I was happy to see them make the run they did. But I wish I could have been out there.”
Missing those games gave Covey some extra motivation for his senior season.
“I’ve been itching to get back out there the whole offseason,” Covey said. “I’ve been working really hard on my speed, strength, change of direction, everything. I can’t wait to get back out there and show much I’ve improved and compete with the boys again.”
Prospect coach Dan DeBoeuf sees a fire has been lit inside Covey, who also is coming into this season stronger than ever.
“I’m super proud of the way Frank’s matured as a leader on the team,” DeBoeuf said. “I think him missing the postseason last year and not being able to be out there with his guys, it really reiterated how important it is to him.
“He’s really invested himself into it this offseason and changed his body, and we’re excited to see him out there.”
A versatile player
Covey grew up playing quarterback. But Prospect wanted to try him at receiver on the varsity team during his sophomore season, which was pushed back to spring 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We had a strong quarterback, so they asked me to go play receiver, and I was completely fine with it,” Covey said. “I had done it before in 7-on-7s and stuff like that. I had a blast playing receiver. Sophomore year was awesome.”
Covey’s performance caught the attention of several major college programs, and Northwestern intends to play him at receiver.
Last season, however, he was back at quarterback.
“The plan the whole time was for me to go back to quarterback as a junior, so it all worked out,” Covey said. “I just went along with it. It ended up being a pretty cool experience.”
Covey threw for more than 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns and ran for more than 700 yards and 12 touchdowns.
He saw how much work it takes, both physically and mentally, to be the leader of an offense on the varsity level.
“Quarterback is a lot tougher on me mentally than wide receiver,” Covey said. “That was the biggest challenge, making the reads and seeing the defense and everything like that. It definitely helps me out when I go back to play receiver. I can understand the coverages and all that.”
Jake Parisi became Covey’s favorite target last season. The senior receiver enjoys the connection they have, both on and off the field.
“It’s really fun playing with him,” Parisi said. “He’s a great player and a great friend of mine too. So we have good chemistry out there.
“I know what he’s looking for out of me. I know where he wants to throw the ball and all that.”
DeBoeuf was impressed with Covey’s successful transition after spending a season at another position.
“With a guy who has abilities like that and can do a lot of different things on the field, we wanted the ball in his hands as much as possible,” DeBoeuf said. “He did a great job with that and got better every week.”
DeBoeuf figures to use Covey at both quarterback and receiver this season.
“He’s a special kid at receiver too,” DeBoeuf said. “We’re going to try to move him around and do different things. We’re just trying to use our guys’ talents wherever they fit, and each year is a little bit different.
More Top Picks Agility Ladder
“The nice thing is we have some other really talented players around him, so that gives us some flexibility to do different things.”
Finding a future home
Covey’s recruiting started to pick up last fall. Some programs were interested in him as a quarterback, while others viewed him as a receiver.
Northwestern’s pursuit came in waves.
“The day Northwestern offered me was definitely one of the best days of my life,” Covey said. “It kind of came out of nowhere.
“Last December, the O-line coach came in and talked to me and said they’d liked my film. But there wasn’t much more than that. A while later, their offensive coordinator saw my film and liked me at quarterback. Their wide receiver coach saw my film and said I could play receiver there. It took them a while to offer, though.”
Things took off after Covey attended a Junior Day event at Northwestern in January and spoke with coach Pat Fitzgerald.
“Coach Fitz said he saw me as a receiver in the Big Ten,” Covey said. “I was actually happy when he said that. I really love playing receiver. But I’d play any position, honestly.
“Three days after the Junior Day, coach Fitz sent me a text and told me to call him when I had a chance. I called him, and he extended the offer to me. I was super excited.”
Covey quickly decided that Northwestern was the place for him.
“It only took me two or three days to commit,” he said. “I couldn’t see myself anywhere else. It’s super close to home. I’m going to enroll early there in the spring, and it won’t be as big of a deal to pull off since it’s so close.
“Playing right there on Lake Michigan, it doesn’t get much better than that.”
Committing to Northwestern in early February fulfilled a longtime dream for him.
“I always had that goal since I was younger,” Covey said. “Sometimes I would ask myself, ‘Can you really play in the Big Ten?’ After sophomore year, I started thinking I could do it for real. Now it’s happening, and I can’t wait to get going there.”
‘Generational talent’
Before he goes to Northwestern, Covey wants the Knights to do big things this season.
Senior safety Jack Berman said Covey sets the tone for everyone else.
“He’s a big leader,” Berman said. “He leads by example a lot. People see him balling out, and that’s a big thing. People want to practice and be great just like him.”
Covey takes that role seriously.
“It’s very important that I need to be one of the leaders on the team and be the one to calm everyone down, give them the confidence that we’re going to be all right,” he said.
Berman said Covey is the one who convinced him to come back to football before his sophomore season. Berman has committed to play at Navy.
“I played in elementary school, but I stopped because of concussions,” Berman said. “Frank got me to come back out before sophomore year. He got me back into football, and I owe a lot to him.”
Berman said he is often blown away by what Covey can do on the field.
“Frank is an absolute generational talent, for sure,” Berman said. “He’s a dog. It’s been great playing with him.”
DeBoeuf sees Covey as the perfect blend of natural talent and unrelenting desire.
“Very few guys can move like he does,” DeBoeuf said. “He just moves at a little bit of a different level. So his speed is huge. But I think the thing that really sets him apart is his competitiveness. No matter what we’re doing, whatever drill in practice, he wants to win, and he takes it personally. I think the other kids feed off that.”
Covey has been a three-sport athlete at Prospect, playing basketball and lacrosse, although he said he is giving up both this school year to follow through with his plans to graduate early and enroll at Northwestern for the second semester.
“Playing basketball has definitely helped me with my athleticism, my jumping, changing directions, all of that,” Covey said. “It’s good to get away from football for a while, play something else, and then when you come back to football, you crave it even more.”
All along, Covey knew football is his true passion.
“Fourth grade, I think, is when I fell in love with the game of football,” he said. “I was always football first. Every decision I made in sports was about trying to get better at football and trying to chase down my dream of playing Division I football.”
If all goes according to plan, that dream will become reality for Covey in a matter of months. Until then, he is focused on the Knights.
“I’m really excited about the team we have,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a special year.”
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
More Top Picks Best Acupressure Pillows For Neck Tension