BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
When high school seniors return to school from the Christmas break, graduation most likely consumes more and more of their thoughts.
Not Bradford’s Manny Covey. He will begin attending classes at the University of Cincinnati on Jan. 6 as an early enrollee, with his thoughts occupied by getting used to being a college student and getting a head start on making an impact on the Bearcats football team.
Covey, who played running back for Bradford High School the past two seasons, signed his letter of intent to play for Cincinnati during a Dec. 21 ceremony in the BHS auditorium. He had verbally committed to the Bearcats during the summer.
“I’m excited,” he said. “I’m glad it’s over — high school. I’m ready to get (to Cincinnati).”
Covey expressed his thanks to everyone who helped him get to this point, saying, “It’s just been a crazy experience, coming from foster care and being adopted at age 4. No one really thought I could do it.
“I’m very humbled to be in this situation, to go to college.”
BHS Head Coach Jamie Rodgers said not every high school player, obviously, gets to play college ball. He knows that Covey is the kind of person who won’t take his opportunity for granted.
“There are so many people who, for one reason or another, will never get to do what he’s going to do and who deserve it,” Rodgers said. “He’s getting the opportunity. He’s the kind of kid who’s going to make the most of it.”
As a junior, Covey received his first offer from Troy University. The second offer came from Cincinnati.
Then the floodgates opened.
“After that, all the offers started. coming,” Covey said. “All the coaches started calling 24-7.”
Covey said the recruiting process is one that doesn’t give a kid free time to just be a kid. All he could do, he said, was listen to what each coach had to say and make the best decision for him. He seriously considered Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Mississippi State and Tulane, but he liked what Cincinnati had to offer. He likes the campus and enjoyed the people he met. He described the feeling he got from meeting others there as a “brotherhood.”
“I know I can grow at Cincinnati and become more of a man. They can build me into the football player I want to be,” Covey said, adding, “Just everything about Cincinnati I fell in love with.”
Covey rushed for nine touchdowns and approximately 600 yards this past season before fracturing a bone in his ankle during the Tornadoes’ eighth game, putting an end to his season. The injury occurred one week after he rushed for two touchdowns and more than 200 yards in a 27-0 win over Tocoi Creek.
He may not be ready to go when spring practices start at Cincinnati, but Covey said he should be able to participate by the second or third week.
As a junior, Covey rushed for 558 yards and seven touchdowns on 102 carries. He also caught 27 passes for 399 yards and two touchdowns.
Covey played for Union County as a sophomore, rushing for 810 yards and 10 touchdowns on 123 carries. He also caught 15 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns.
Rodgers said Covey goes from zero speed to full speed in a hurry and is able to make cuts at full speed, going from one direction to another.
“Those are things that you can’t teach,” Rodgers said, adding, “There are just some guys who just have it. He’s got it. He’s got what it takes to be a really good running back at a high level.”
Covey, of course, will continue to work on improving his game. He said he needs to work on such things as ball security, reading holes better, carrying the ball with his left hand and trusting his eyes and his feet.
“There’s a lot of stuff I really need to work on,” he said. “I know they’re going to help me become the player I need to be when I get up to Cincinnati.”
Rodgers said Covey is the kind of player who’ll do all that’s asked of him, which will help him adjust to football at a level where everybody’s bigger, stronger and faster.
“A guy like Manny — you don’t have to worry about him skipping reps or not working out,” Rodgers said. “That’s something that he loves to do.”
A self-motivated player with a high skill set is a great asset for a program, but what impressed a Cincinnati coach at first had nothing to do with Covey’s athletic ability. The coach was on the BHS campus to talk to multiple players. He liked the way Covey shook his hand, looked him in the eye and sat up straight in a chair when talking to him.
The coach also liked Covey’s smile — something quite a few people talked about when given a chance to speak during the signing ceremony.
“Cincinnati’s not only getting a really good football player,” Rodgers said. “They’re getting a really good person.”
Covey may have seen his goal become a reality, but he’s not satisfied with playing collegiately and then calling it quits.
“My goal was to become D-I,” Covey said of getting an opportunity at a Division-I college, “but my dream is to be in the NFL. That’s still my dream. I’m going to work every day to make that happen.”
For now, though, he’s content to make his mark as a Bearcat. He said he’ll experience a lot of emotions when he first steps onto the field as a Cincinnati player, especially considering he had to miss his final seven high school games because of his injury.
“It’s going to be crazy when I get to college, especially when I score my first touchdown,” Covey said. “I might even cry.”
