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C.J.Conrad
- position Tight End
- height 6-5
- Weight 245
- class Junior
- Hometown LaGrange, Ohio
- High school Keystone
Career
- Played in 49 career games with 42 starts
- Totaled 80 catches with 1,015 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns
- Became the 28th player to reach 1,000 yards receiving
- His 12 career TDs catches are the second-most TD receptions by a tight end in UK history, one behind James Whalen (13 from 1997-99)
- Ended his illustrious career at No. 28 on the career receiving yards chart
- Named the winner of the 2018 Pop Warner National College Football Award which recognizes a college graduating senior who has made a difference on the field, in the classroom and in his community, and serves as a role model to Pop Warner’s young student-athletes
- Named to the 2018 SEC Community Service Team and was nominee for the 2018 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team and the Wuerffel Trophy
- Three-time Mackey Award Watch List member, (nation’s best tight end)
- Four-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll
- Earned All-SEC honors as a junior
- Graduated in December of 2018 with a degree in communications
2018 – Senior (Team Captain)
- Played in all 13 games with 12 starting assignments
- Totaled 30 catches for 318 yards and three TDs
- Posted season highs on Senior Day vs. MTSU with four catches for 51 yards, including an 11-yard TD catch
- Named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll
- Accepted an invitation to play in the East-West Shrine Game
- SEC Community Service Team
- John Mackey Tight End of the Week HM (10/2)
- Mackey Award Watch List
- 2018 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team nominee
- Wuerffel Trophy Watch List
- Had two catches for 12 yards, including the two-yard game-winning touchdown on the final play in the win over Missouri
- Had a season-high three catches for 31 yards in the win over South Carolina, earning him John Mackey Tight End of the Week honorable mention
- Caught two passes for 22 yards in UK’s win over Mississippi State
- Made his fourth-straight start in a season opener … The last Wildcat to start four straight season openers was cornerback Trevard Lindley in 2006-09
- Second-Team Offense Preseason All-SEC (Phil Steele, Athlon Sports, Lindy’s) Third-Team Preseason All-SEC (Media)
- Third-Team Preseason All-SEC (Coaches)
2017 – Junior
- Phil Steele All-SEC Third Team
- John Mackey Award Watch List
- Coaches’ Preseason All-SEC Third Team
- Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll
- Dean’s List (Fall 2017)
- Suffered a season-ending foot injury in the Georgia game … Had surgery on Nov. 21
- Was second on the team in receiving yards with 286 yards on 16 catches … Averaged 17.9 yards per catch (2nd on the team)
- Had a season-high five catches for 75 yards and a score vs. Ole Miss
- Had a receiving TD in the UK’s first two games, becoming the first UK tight end with a receiving touchdown in consecutive games since Jacob Tamme on Nov. 24 and Dec. 31, 2007
2016 – Sophomore
- Started in 11 of 13 games played
- Fourth on the team in receiving with 19 catches for 262 yards and four TDs
- Had a career day vs. New Mexico State, catching five passes for a career-high 133 yards
- Also had a career-long 72-yard receiving TD
- First UK player with three receiving touchdowns in a game since Dicky Lyons, Jr. vs. Florida on Oct. 20, 2007
- First UK tight end with 100 receiving yards in a game since Jacob Tamme vs. Tennessee on Nov. 24, 2007
- His 133 receiving yards are the third-most receiving yards by a tight end in school history and most in a game since James Whalen had 151 vs. Georgia in 1999
- The 133 receiving yards are the 10th-most by a player at Kroger Field and second-most by a tight end in Kroger Field history
- Named the John Mackey Tight End of the Week after the New Mexico State game
- Named to the John Mackey Award Midseason Award Watch List (nation’s top tight end)
- Named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll
2015 – Freshman
- Led all SEC freshman tight ends with 15 catches for 149 yards and one touchdown
- Named Third-Team Athlon Sports Freshman AllAmerica
- Tabbed to the SEC All-Freshman Team by the league coaches, the first tight end honored for UK since 2010
- Was on the John Mackey Award Midseason Watch List, given to the nation’s best tight end — one of just two freshman tight ends on the list
- Played in all 12 games with nine starts
- Earned consistent praise from the coaching staff for his service in run blocking in the first three games of the year, before breaking out with his first three career catches for 55 yards and a TD in the win over No. 23 Missouri
- Had three catches vs. Auburn, before a strong six catch, 56-yard effort at Mississippi State
- Graduated a semester early and enrolled at Kentucky in January of 2015
- Named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll
High School
- A four-star prospect by Scout, Rivals and 247Sports.com
- Three-star player by ESPN
- Considered by all four services to be one of the best tight end prospects in the nation
- Helped lead his team to a conference championship in 2013, the first for the school since 1971
- In 2014, Keystone went 8-2 and qualified for the Division IV playoffs for the first time in school history
- Lettered all four years and on top of playing tight end also played free safety, defensive end and split end his freshman and sophomore seasons
- Started varsity midway through his freshman season and ended his career with 180 catches for 2,436 yards, 32 receiving touchdowns and two punt returns for a touchdown
- Senior season ended with 55 receptions for 752 yards, 10 receiving touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and one punt return for a TD
- Included in those stats was an impressive performance in the school’s first-ever playoff game, making nine catches for 114 yards and one touchdown, adding 12 tackles and two sacks on defense
- Had 47 catches for 579 yards and six receiving touchdowns as a junior and 59 catches for 924 yards and 14 touchdowns as a sophomore
- On the defensive side, he had 170 career tackles and six interceptions
- Participated in the 2014 Columbus Nike Football Training Camp and won the MVP award for the tight ends and receivers group
- Earned an invitation to Nike’s exclusive The Opening 2014
- Was awarded the annual Lorain County Golden Helmet Award, which is presented to the county’s top senior football player
- Only the second player in school history to earn the award, with the last coming in 1972
- Was named 2014 All-Ohio second team, and the 2014 All-Northeast Lakes District, All-Lorain County and All-Patriot Athletic Conference first teams
- Named the PAC’s Offensive Player of the Year and earned a PAC Scholar-Athlete Award
- All-Ohio special mention his junior season and All-Ohio third team his sophomore season
- A four-year varsity letterman in basketball, helping the team to the conference championship his freshman season and earning several all-county, all-conference and all-district honors
- Honor roll student that was named to the scholar-athlete list every season, keeping a 3.5 GPA or higher
- Chose Kentucky over Ole Miss, Illinois, Indiana, Arkansas and Duke
Personal
- Born in Fairview, Ohio
- Son of Mike and Lois Conrad who both played basketball at Tiffin University
- Brother, Austin, plays defensive end at Ohio
- Sister, Mackenzie, played collegiate softball at Akron and Coastal Carolina
Community Cats
- Participated in a one-week service/educational trip to the Dominican Republic in May of 2017 where he interacted with residents of impoverished communities, visited an orphanage, constructed park benches in a sugar cane village, distributed food to the hungry and visited a nursing home and a daycare for special needs children
- Created a weekly program called “Tuesdays with C.J.” where he visited with sick children each Tuesday morning to lift their spirits
- Volunteer speaker at a local elementary school (2015)
- Stayed after practice to spend time with the Special Olympics (2015)
C.J. Says
- His nickname is “Mini Gronk”
- Other than playing in the NFL, his dream job is to be the agent of Rob Gronkowski
- One word to describe him on the field is “aggressive”
- When he’s not playing football, he loves to fish and play golf
- His life’s theme song is “All I Do is Win” by DJ Khaled