LB, Nick Covey - Will he be NU's first commit?

No matter who it’s from, that first written offer for any athlete is bound to cause a little excitement. And, if that offer is from what is considered to be one of the more elite programs in the country, excitement turns into near elation. That’s what Nick Covey went through when he realized that the University of Nebraska had just offered him a ship to play football for them. For Covey and his possible pledge to NU, is it just a matter of time?

Personally, I can’t relate to Mountain Ridge high school’s, Nick Covey. One day you are sitting there, a football player with an obviously stout amount of talent, speed and desire, but up to a certain point, basically unknown. And then, one of the most tradition-drenched football programs in the country sends you a letter stating that you now have a full ride scholarship to play that sport for them.

I guess not even Covey himself could relate. Well, until now of course. Now, he knows just how it feels. "I was so excited, but I was really shocked." Covey stated. "I had no idea this was coming."

Part of that obliviousness is from simply being humble, but realistically, when you don’t have any written offers at that point, your first coming from a program like Nebraska would probably catch someone off guard. It certainly wouldn’t his coach, Steve Belles stating that Covey’s potential is up there with the best. "The sky is the limit for him. I think he could play anywhere, at any position, and start at the next level."

It also wouldn’t surprise Southwest recruiting analyst for TheInsiders, Andrew Friedman who says Covey could be a definite diamond in the ruff.

Add to all this impressive size (6'3", 220lbs.), great speed (4.59/40) and athleticism that has garnered him anything from All-Region honors as a linebacker and tight end, plus All-State honors as a punter, Covey averaging a whopping 47+ yards per punt, you’ve got a young man that realistically shouldn’t be surprised at all.

Covey was though, but you can imagine that he’s starting to warm to the idea of playing for one of the top programs around. "It’s Nebraska." Covey stated. "There’s not much more you need to say. When you hear their name, that’s as big as it gets. They are the powerhouse football team of all football teams."

High praise indeed and it would prompt thoughts from anyone that hears that to think that the Huskers are an automatic as far as Covey committing to NU. There’s no question that Covey likes what he sees and is looking for Nebraska to be everything he wants, but like all young men that have such an important decision to make in where they spend their entire college career, he just has to be sure. "I want to go up and see how I get along with the coaches." Covey stated. "I want to talk to them, see about everything and just see how I feel around them."

Covey will have that opportunity as he heads up to Lincoln for the second session of Summer camps at NU. The camp experience at Nebraska is actually old-hate for Nick, this up-coming camp being his third total that he’s attended at this University. It’s pretty obvious that this experience will be different, but fans will want to know is if Covey will leave Lincoln a verbally committed Husker. "That’s a possibility." Nick said. "That’s what I am going to talk over with my parents before I head up to camp. I want to meet the coaches and get a feel for everything, but if everything is like I hope, I’d have to say there’s a chance."

Fans are usually pretty cautious about commitments this early in the season. As has so often been seen from year to year, pledges this early often take a different direction as their own season progresses or they are being offered by others. With NU being his only offer, Covey concedes that ideally he wouldn’t mind looking at all his potential options, but did say that he’s hoping that whatever feeling he is looking for is exactly what he gets at NU. "For a program like that, it would be great if everything was just the way I wanted it to be." Covey stated. "You want to get along great with your coaches, get along great with the players and everything is basically perfect. You don’t know that though until you actually go there and see, because everything there is new."

The two in-state schools, Arizona and Arizona State will probably make a stab for Covey, especially now that Nebraska has offered him in writing. While Arizona State doesn’t seem to have a great chance for the in-state standout, Arizona is definitely a team that could end up in the mix. Nick wasn’t willing to say that even if Arizona offered, they were going to be side by side with Nebraska as to who he was looking at the most. "Really, for me, I just want to meet the coaches at Nebraska." he said. "After that, I’ll be able to look at things a lot better."

As you can gather, Covey would appear to be Nebraska’s to lose. It would seem that if his camp goes well and the visits with the coaches go well, Nick could be leaving Lincoln as Nebraska’s first commit. That wouldn’t hurt Covey’s feelings one bit. "I’ve always known that Nebraska is a powerhouse football program." he said. "They win a lot, put a lot of players into the NFL and it’s a good school to go to for football. I can’t see why you wouldn’t want to go there."

Nebraska’s second session is scheduled to go from June 15^th to June 17^th.

We should find out something about whether or not Covey is indeed NU’s first commit shortly thereafter.

Stay tuned.

Steve Ryan can be reached at or 402-730-5619