‘I absolutely love him.’ Kentucky tight end has left massive mark on program.
Kentucky’s coaches are going to miss C.J. Conrad.
And it’s not necessarily for the reasons fans might think.
Sure, the senior tight end’s 79 career catches and nearly 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns have been needed and impressive.
His blocking has quietly helped Kentucky rush for more than 9,500 yards in his four-year Cats career.
“I’m going to miss him personally because he’s been like a son to me,” tight ends coach Vince Marrow said last week.
For Coach Mark Stoops, one of his most important sounding boards is moving on.
“He’s like a grown man and I absolutely love him, love talking to him,” Stoops said. “And I seek him out for advice once in a while, the pulse of the team, what he’s thinking.”
For a kid from Ohio, Conrad now sounds like a player that grew up wearing blue in his driveway and in his backyard.
The idea of putting on the UK jersey for the last time in the Citrus Bowl against Penn State on Jan. 1 already has him sighing.
“It’s going to be extremely emotional for me,” Conrad said. “I love this place. I love playing for Kentucky, and you never know what your last play of football will be.”
Conrad will never take getting to play in a UK jersey in a bowl game for granted after missing last year after foot surgery. He stood on the frigid sideline watching his teammates lose in the final seconds to Northwestern in the Music City Bowl.
Getting to be around his teammates is another thing Conrad will never take for granted as the seconds tick down on his time at UK.
“I’m excited,” Conrad said of playing in the bowl game in Orlando on Tuesday. “I missed last year. I’m super pumped. I don’t like missing games, so I’m looking forward to it.
“This is a fun time of year because you get to hang out with your teammates. No one’s on campus, so a lot of activities that Coach Stoops lets us do. … Just a laid-back time that I didn’t get to enjoy last year.”
If Conrad gets just 6 receiving yards in the bowl game, he’ll become the 28th UK player to get to the 1,000-yard milestone. If he catches a touchdown on Jan. 1, he’ll tie James Whalen for most receptions by a tight end in Kentucky history.
Marrow just hopes he’ll be able to show what he can do against an impressive team like Penn State before moving on to the East-West Shrine Game.
“I’m so excited for him because I still think this kid is … very under appreciated, but I tell you he’s going to play well in this bowl game,” the tight ends coach said of Conrad, who has 994 yards and 12 touchdowns on 79 catches in his four-year career.
“I’m very excited that he’s going to get to play in this bowl game and finish his career off. I think he had one of the best careers you can have as a tight end, but also as a student-athlete.”
For Conrad, playing in his last game at Kentucky is another chance to leave a legacy, helping the Cats get to 10 victories and cementing his class’s place as one of the most productive in school history.
“Getting the 10th win is important to us,” Conrad said. “As a senior class, we want to go out on a positive note. … We’ve taken this bowl prep — although it’s fun and relaxing, when we’re out there for the hour, hour and a half, two hours — we’re taking it extremely serious prepping to try and get the win.”
Citrus Bowl
No. 14 Kentucky vs. No. 12 Penn State
When: 1 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
TV: ABC-36
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1, WLXG-AM 1300, WLXG-FM 92.5
Records: Kentucky 9-3 (5-3 SEC), Penn State 9-3 (6-3 Big Ten)
Series: Penn State leads 3-2
Last meeting: Penn State won 26-14 on Jan. 1, 1999, at the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla.