Kyle Richardson reached out to a North Carolina-based tight end over a week ago.
Since then, Clemson’s tight ends coach has kept in constant contact with Jayvontay Conner and is looking to get the three-star out of East Forsyth (Kernersville, N.C.) on campus sooner than later.
Up until recently, Conner played his high school ball at Opelika (Ala.) High School, but has since moved to the Tar Heel State.
“From Clemson, I’ve been hearing a few things,” Conner told The Clemson Insider. “(Coach Richardson) wants me to come on campus and camp for them. I’m gonna look into that and everything. We talked and he liked my film and he texted me and we’ve been texting back and forth.”
This spring, Conner only plans on visiting schools that he has an offer from. Hence, why he may wait until the summertime to pay Richardson and Clemson a visit.
Conner — a 6-4, 230-pound junior — has started to see his recruitment take off over the last couple of weeks. Since the start of February, he’s earned offers from Coastal Carolina, App State, Southern Miss, Tulane, Charlotte, Alabama A&M, Oklahoma State, UCF, USF, James Madison, Tennessee State, Duke, South Alabama, Vanderbilt, Memphis, Georgia Southern, Louisville, West Virginia, Marshall, Minnesota, Toledo and Pitt.
He opened his recruitment back up in January after he decommitted from Alabama State. In a matter of a month, Conner has become one of the fastest-rising tight end prospects in the nation, which has allowed him to earn some attention as of late from the Tigers.
“It means a lot,” he said of hearing from a school like Clemson. “It really shows me that a lot of my hard work is paying off. Even the offers I’m getting is showing me that my hard work is paying off and everything. I’m very excited about it. I’m just very blessed to be in the position that I’m in right now.”
Obviously, Conner would love to have a Clemson offer in hand, but he’s appreciative of Richardson wanting to get to know him first, so they can further build up their relationship with one another.
“I respect the fact that he wants to get to know me,” Conner added. “That just really shows that they’re just not offering everybody. They’re really taking time and putting thought into it.”
What does Richardson like about Conner’s game?
“Basically, he was just telling me that he wanted me to come camp, so he could work for me and everything,” Conner said. “Just basically meet the staff and just hang out with him throughout the day.”
As for Conner and his game, he describes himself as a really big target on the field with a big catch radius. He catches just about everything that comes his way and he loves the blocking part of the tight end position.
Conner said that a lot of people like to compare him to former University of Florida standout and current Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts. It’s because of his size and the fact that he also has a wide receiver skillset too. He also doesn’t want you to forget that blocking is a very critical aspect of his game.
As he prepares for his senior season, Conner has been doing some heavy weightlifting. At the end of his junior season, he weighed 220-pounds. Now, he’s up to 230, as he looks to maintain the same speed or even get faster.
“I’m just trying to become the best player that I can,” he said.
Conner is a natural-born leader. He plans on being the leader that everyone needs, so he can help East Forsyth earn a ring in his final season of high school football. He wants to be the best player and best leader on the field, which he indicated is the mindset for his upcoming senior season.
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