Countdown to Kickoff: 4 Days (Chris Covington and Ricky Jones)

Written by: Lydia Knoll (@lydddknoll)

#4

There are now only FOUR days remaining until the Indiana Hoosiers kick-off the 2016 season in Miami against the Florida International Golden Panthers. Join us each day for each part of our 100-day countdown to the opener! There are two players with the number four so we will dive into both Chris Covington and Ricky Jones. 

Chris Covington (Junior)

-Height: 6’2”
-Weight: 237 pounds
-Hometown: Chicago, IL
-Position: Linebacker

A jack of all trades, Covington has played all around the football field throughout his high school and college career. At his school in Chicago, Covington was a quarterback as well as a defensive back. He threw for 1,993 yards and 26 touchdowns. As a defensive back, he recorded six tackles for loss, with three interceptions and one forced fumble. His performance landed him the first D1 scholarship his high school had ever seen. Coming to Indiana, Covington started as a quarterback where he played his freshman year for five games before ending his season early with a torn ACL. His glory as a quarterback was short lived and he was soon moved to linebacker where he remains today. Last year, Covington played in the final eight games of the season as linebacker and made four tackles, all at the Penn State game. 

The Hoosiers are stacked pretty deep all-across the board and there’s very few, if any, players who are irreplaceable this season. Covington risks being overlooked if he doesn’t begin producing. From last season, Indiana saw what he was capable of in the Penn State game and it’s that performance that they need from him every game this coming season. Covington likely won’t be in the starting lineup, but he’ll get his chance to play. After playing eight games last season, he’s had some experience and time to adjust to the linebacker position, so now is the time the team needs him to step up as a leader. He’s coming into his junior season with a strong starting lineup in front of him, with Tegray Scales, Marcus Oliver, and Dawson Fletcher, so it’s imperative that he puts forth his best game every game. 

Ricky Jones (Redshirt Senior)

-Height: 5’10”
-Weight: 185 pounds
-Hometown: Sarasota, FL
-Position: Wide Receiver

Ricky Jones is a prime example of a redshirted player who has worked hard and now is in the spotlight. Jones redshirted his freshman year after coming to Indiana from Booker High School in Sarasota, Florida where he played wide receiver and cornerback. His career at Indiana started slow with three appearances his freshman year. His sophomore year he appeared in all twelve games but only recorded three receptions for a total of 58 yards. Last season, however, he made a name for himself. Jones caught a total of 54 receptions for a total of 906 yards, putting him second on the team, sixth in the Big Ten for receiving yards, and ninth on Indiana’s single season list. He averaged 16.8 yards per catch, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten, and 69.7 yards per game. In addition to his 906 yards, Jones scored a total of five touchdowns. 

His performance alongside Simmie Cobbs, Mitchell Paige, and Jordan Howard were a big contributor to the Hoosier’s success they were able to obtain last season. Howard, now playing for the Chicago Bears, fortunately is the only player of the mix that the Hoosiers lost. Cobbs and Paige will both be returning, along with sophomore Nick Westbrook. These four make up one of the strongest receiving teams in the Big Ten. From the looks of spring practice, Jones has only continued to improve, and he can expect his starting position again this coming season. Offensive Coordinator, Kevin Johns, spoke very highly of Jones in a press conference on Friday. He emphasized that Jones puts in effort and he doesn’t get tired. Hoosier Nation can look forward to another great season from him and continued improvement, thanks to his dedication in practice. 

Share any comments or memories about Ricky Jones or Chris Covington in the comments section (or on the message boards) and be sure to come back to Hoosier Huddle each day during our countdown!