Kentucky senior C.J. Conrad has been named to the 2018 John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List for the second consecutive season. The Mackey Award recognizes the most outstanding tight end in college football.
Conrad, who hails from LaGrange, Ohio, is considered one of the most gifted tight ends in the country, having averaged a touchdown every five times he has caught a pass in his career. In 2017, Conrad ended the season ranking second on the team with 286 receiving yards on 16 catches to go along with a team-high four touchdowns despite his season ending prematurely on Nov. 18 due to a foot injury. His 17.9 yards per catch average ranked second on the team.
In the first two games of the 2017 season, he had a receiving TD, becoming the first UK tight end with a receiving touchdown in consecutive games since Jacob Tamme on Nov. 24 and Dec. 31, 2007. In his three-year career, Conrad has totaled 697 receiving yards with nine scores.
The Mackey Award honors National Football League Hall of Fame tight end John Mackey, considered the best to have played the position. Presented since 2000, three players who eventually won Super Bowl rings were selected as the winner of the award. The recipient is selected by a vote of the John Mackey Award Selection Committee and will be announced on December 5 as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards.
Conrad also has been named to Athlon Sports’ preseason All-Southeastern Conference teams as the second-team tight end, as well as nominated for the 2018 Allstate AFCA (American Football Coaches Association) Good Works Team, which is the top college football honor for recognizing outstanding community service achievements.
(FROM UK ATHLETICS)
