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Ohio junior tight end C.J. Conrad will announced his college choice Friday — he’s down to Kentucky and Indiana — and Keystone High School coach Rob Clarico has no problem noting what his player does best.
“Without a doubt what does best is catch the football,” said Clarico. “He has great skills to go get the ball and catch it away from his body because he has really strong hands. That is what he does best.”
The 6-5 1/2, 231-pound Conrad — Clarico says he is “still growing and getting bigger” — has a 16 major college offers that include Arkansas, Louisville and Virginia Tech. Conrad, who had 579 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior, went to 13 camps to make a name for himself in one-on-one drills against some of the nation’s top players.
“He is a great kid from a solid family that is an athletic family,” Clarico said. “Both his parents played basketball at Tiffin University and his mom is in the Tiffin Hall of Fame. His older sister is at Akron on a softball scholarship and her senior year the eam was USA Today’s No. 1-ranked Division IV player and she was the MaxPreps Player of the Year. His younger brother is a sophomore and started in both basketball and football. It is an athletic, tight-knit family. That’s why I think one big thing in his decision-making (about college) was wanting to be within driving distance so his family can see him play.”
Conrad is ranked as the the No. 6 tight end in the country and the No. 8 player in Ohio's Class of 2015 by Rivals.com.
“He really moves well. His first two years he was our starting safety and could probably still play there but we had a tremendeous need at defensive end,” Clarico said. “But he’s athletic enough to play any position. “
Clarico said recruiters see him as hybrid tight end that could be a true tight end, play wide receiver or come out of the backfield.
“He can do all those things. You can hide him in different formations and not use him the same place all the time,” Clarico said. “We are a small school, so most kids go both ways. The fact he played safety means he knows a lot about (pass) coverage and that could accelerate his learning in college. He’s a hard worker and competitor. He can go all day long, something else that will help him in college.”
Clarico said when he talked to Conrad about choosing a college, the player made it clear “scheme” was important to him.
“How he fit with his position coach is important, too,” Clarico said. “I gave him the same advice I give all my seniors. You will just feel something is right and when you go on your visits, you will feel this is where you should be. He went to 13 camps last year and during school made a lot of visits. I told him at one point it would feel right and he would know where he needed to be.”
He had told Clarico originally he would not make a college choice until the end of the summer. When he told Clarico he was ready to make his decision (Friday is his birthday), the coach asked if he was sure.
“He said he was 100 percent sure and wanted to do it to get it done and plan for his future,” Clarico said. “I know it was well thought out and supported by his family.”
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