C.J. Conrad Named to John Mackey Award Midseason Watch List

University of Kentucky sophomore tight end C.J. Conrad has been named to the John Mackey Award Midseason Watch List it was announced Wednesday. 

Given annually to the most outstanding collegiate tight end, the award recipient is selected by vote of the John Mackey Award Selection Committee and the 2016 John Mackey recipient will be announced on Dec. 7 and then presented live on Dec. 8 at The Home Depot College Football Awards Red Carpet Show on ESPNU. Other key dates include the announcement of the 2016 Mackey Semi-finalists on Nov. 14 and the 2016 Mackey Finalists on Nov. 22. All future announcements can be found at www.johnmackeyaward.com.

Conrad is one of 30 players named to the midseason watch list. 

On the season, Conrad has played in all six games with four starts, and is UK’s (3-3, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) No. 2 receiver with 12 catches for 169 yards and three touchdowns. For his career, Conrad has played in 18 games with 13 starts and has 27 catches for 318 yards and four touchdowns. 

Earlier this season, Conrad was named the John Mackey Tight End of the Week after catching five passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns – all career highs – in Kentucky’s 62-42 win over New Mexico State. It was the first 100-yard game of Conrad’s career, who earned third-team Freshman All-America honors last season.

The performance by Conrad was one of the best by a Kentucky tight end in some time as he became the first UK tight end with three touchdowns in a game since first-team All-American James Whalen in 1999. Conrad’s 133 receiving yards was the third-most by a tight end in a game in school history, while Conrad is the only UK player to have at least 133 receiving yards and three touchdowns in Commonwealth Stadium history.

NFL Hall of Fame member John Mackey is considered to be the best to have played the tight end position.  A tight end by whom all others are measured, Mackey was a role model on and off the field as demonstrated by his Super Bowl Championship, his commitment to community and his place in history as the first President of the NFLPA.

The John Mackey Award, presented since 2000, recognizes fourteen alumni that have played in the NFL: two-time Super Bowl Champion Daniel Graham (‘01), 2006 Super Bowl Champion Dallas Clark (‘02), Kellen Winslow II (‘03), two-time Super Bowl Champion Heath Miller (‘04), Marcedes Lewis (‘05) of the Jacksonville Jaguars, 2008 Super Bowl Champion Matt Spaeth (‘06) of the of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Fred Davis (‘07), Chase Coffman (‘08), D.J. Williams (‘10),  Dwayne Allen (’11) of the Indianapolis Colts, Tyler Eifert (’12)  of the Cincinnati Bengals, Austin Seferian-Jenkins (’13) of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Nick O’Leary (’14) of the Buffalo Bills and 2015 John Mackey Award recipient Hunter Henry of the San Diego Chargers.

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