After catching a 16-yard reception in a November contest against Purdue, redshirt freshman wide receiver Frank Covey IV had all the makings of a breakout ahead of him. The catch put him at 43 yards early in the second quarter, already a career-high.
Covey, however, limped off the field with a knee injury after his explosive gain. He was ruled doubtful to return to the game, and the catch ultimately bookended his season — he did not play another snap during the campaign.
“During that Purdue game, I finally feel like hitting my stride, getting more comfortable playing,” Covey told The Daily. “The recovery process was good. The trainers here are great. Just getting in every day, getting work on it. … When I got back, I was just full steam ahead, ready to go.”
Five and a half months after his season-ending injury, Covey and his fellow wideouts, including freshman Hayden Eligon II, walked onto Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium on a cloudy day for the final spring practice.
Covey and Eligon are the Wildcats’ top two returning wide receivers. Covey is coming off a season where he totaled 10 catches for 98 yards, while Eligon hauled in four balls to tally 83 yards. The team will return just 14.9% of its yardage from wide receivers last season, leaving room for Covey and Eligon to take on larger roles.
NU’s top two receivers from last season — A.J. Henning and Bryce Kirtz — are graduate students who have since left the program. Both players totaled over 1,000 receiving yards in a Wildcat uniform and served as role models for underclassmen, such as Covey and Eligon.
“(Henning and Kirtz) have been a big influence in my development,” Eligon said. “Just learning from those guys, taking a backseat and just watching them, how they carry themselves, their work ethic, I was able to learn a lot in just a year with them.”
In Saturday’s practice, Covey played with the first team, exemplifying his connection with the team’s newly acquired quarterback Preston Stone, a graduate transfer from SMU. After practice, coach David Braun applauded Covey’s versatility and his ability to both line up outside and in the slot.
Covey’s 43 receiving yards at Purdue were the most by a Wildcat freshman wide receiver in a game since 2018, when JJ Jefferson notched 68 against Minnesota.
After two full seasons as a Wildcat, Covey said that wide receivers coach Armon Binns has challenged him to become a leader this spring.
“I’m considered more of a veteran guy and one of the older guys now,” Covey said. “(Being a leader is) something I really wanted to work on this spring.”
Eligon was one of two NU freshmen last season who did not redshirt. He played in nine games, including each of the final six. During Saturday’s practice, the Lakewood, California native caught a touchdown with the second team in a simulated drill drive.
Eligon’s 83 receiving yards over the 2024 season marked the most by a true freshman NU wide receiver since 2018, when Jefferson tallied 181. Eligon said each snap he played has proven to be beneficial to his growth since he stepped onto campus.
“It comes with experience — just taking every opportunity that I was given last year and just building on top of that as each game went by,” Eligon said. “Just building that momentum into this next season, where I could hopefully take a bigger stride in what I bring to the room next year.”
Both Covey and Eligon said they have put an emphasis on being in the weight room to get stronger since the season ended in November.
Braun said he was confident with the status of the development of the team’s wide receiver room. Braun also spoke highly of South Dakota State transfer junior Griffin Wilde and redshirt freshman Ricky Ahumaraeze — both wide receivers joined Covey on the first team in practice.
“Even though we might not have been on the field that much, everyone didn’t really lay off the past two seasons or last season,” Covey said. “We’ve been working super hard. We knew we were going to get our chance this year.”
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