Patriots Assistant Earns Prominent Role for College All-Star Game
FOXBORO — The New England Patriots coaching staff will be well represented at this year’s annual Senior Bowl next month in Mobile, AL.
As the top college football players in the nation showcase their talents in anticipation of the 2023 NFL Draft, Patriots defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington will serve as defensive coordinator of the American squad.
Having completed his sixth season in New England, and third working with the defensive linemen, Covington played a major role in leading one of the most productive units in the NFL. The Patriots defense finished eighth in the NFL in yards allowed, tied with the San Francisco 49ers for second in the NFL with 30 takeaways (the Dallas Cowboys had 33), third in the NFL with 19 interceptions, and tied with Dallas for third in the NFL with 54 sacks.
In conjunction with the Scouting Combine and the East-West Shrine Bowl, the Senior Bowl is one of the premier events on the pre-draft calendar. As a result, Covington will now get the chance to demonstrate his coaching prowess on a wider scale. Earlier this year, he was listed on NFL Media’s annual ‘Watch List’ of rising head-coaching candidates under the age 45. His dedication to preparation, as well as strategy, is likely to make him a hot coaching commodity in the near future.
“As a coach, a player, you have to enjoy the process, enjoy the preparation,” Covington told reporters during the 2022 season. “You almost have to love the preparation almost as much as you love the game day because you practice more than you get to play in the game. It makes the games a unique opportunity.”
The 33-year-old Pats positional coach began his coaching career as defensive graduate assistant; spending one season at the University of Alabama-Birmingham in 2012, and two seasons holding the same title at Ole Miss. In 2015 Covington coached the defensive line at UT Martin. This was followed by 2016 when he spent the college football season as the co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach at Eastern Illinois. Covington joined the Patriots organization in 2017 and was a coaching assistant for two years before becoming an assistant outside linebackers coach in 2019. In 2020 he was moved to coaching the defensive line, where he has earned the trust and respect of his colleagues, but most importantly, his players.
With Covington playing a prominent role on the Senior Bowl’s coaching staff, the Patriots have a unique opportunity to scout a wide array of college football’s top prospects. Last year, they drafted four alumni: first-round guard Cole Strange, fourth-round quarterback Bailey Zappe, sixth-round guard Chasen Hines, and seventh-round offensive tackle Andrew Stueber.
New England’s coaching staff will also coach one of the teams at the East-West Shrine Bowl on Feb. 2 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV. Wide receiver Tyquan Thornton, cornerback Jack Jones, running back Pierre Strong and defensive lineman Sam Roberts were all participants in 2022, as were undrafted rookies LaBryan Ray and D’Eriq King.
The 2022 Senior Bowl will take place on Feb. 4 at the University of South Alabama’s Hancock Whitney Stadium.
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