Without question Georgia will miss Tavarres King and Marlon Brown, who accounted for 71 catches and more than 1,500 yards receiving last season and twice that in their careers. But Chris Conley’s presence makes their departures easier to take.
That is becoming increasingly evident as the Bulldogs’ spring practice winds down. Conley, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound junior, was Georgia’s leading receiver this spring. With two catches for 57 yards in the G-Day game, he finished with a team-best 11 catches for 228 yards and two scores in Georgia’s three controlled scrimmages. He would have added significantly to that number in the G-Day game. But quarterback Aaron Murray was ruled down by touch when he connected with a wide-open Conley on a bomb down the right sideline.
Clearly, Conley is going to one of the Bulldogs’ main targets in 2013.
“Chris is just a super, solid guy,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “He knows what to do, practices hard, plays hard, gives you all he’s got every time he goes out there. He’s just a very good football player and a really good leader for our team.”
Said Murray: “He’s definitely that guy. His first two years he came in and made plays throughout the season. He had a strong end of the year last year, and he’s had a great spring. He’s a big receiver. The thing about Chris you enjoy as a quarterback is he really goes up and gets the ball with his hands. He doesn’t let the ball get into him at all. He’s a lanky kid, strong but long, and he goes up there and snatches the ball.”
It’s not like this is some kind of spring revelation. Conley was coming on toward the end of last season.
Always a regular in the Bulldogs’ receiver rotation, he moved into a starting role the last five games after season-ending injuries sidelined Brown and Michael Bennett. Conley had 13 catches for 258 yards and five touchdowns over that span.
Conley stood out in Georgia’s Capital One Bowl victory against Nebraska on New Year’s Day. He caught just two passes, but scored on both of them, including an 87-yard catch and run on a middle screen. He finished with 136 yards, or 68 yards per reception.
“He’s just been very productive,” Richt said. “I think a lot of it is because he works hard every day. I think his conditioning is just better than everybody else, and he’s still going hard when everybody else is wearing down.”
Conley appreciates that observation because it’s something on which he prides himself.
“I like to think to be a complete athlete you have to work on every single part of your game,” he said. “That means when we’re in the weight room or outside working on running and conditioning, I always try to finish first. I always do the extra reps. You’ve always got to practice hard because in the game you’re always going to have to run and we’re going to have some long drives.
“It’s something I’m still working on, being able to do eight-plus-play drives and being at top speed all the time. So that’s something that’s important.”
That should serve Conley well because it’s becoming increasingly clear he’s going to be on the field a lot for Georgia next season. Until Bennett returns from rehab — he’s out until August — only Conley (36 catches for 630 yards, eight touchdowns) and junior split end Malcolm Mitchell (85-1,237-8) have any notable game experience. The rest of Georgia’s receiving production will have to come from up-and-comers such as Justin Scott-Wesley, Blake Tibbs and Jonathan Rumph and experienced veterans such as Rhett McGowan and Rantavious Wooten. Anything the Bulldogs’ get out of first-year players will be a bonus.
“I’ve been working on some little things this spring, and I think the coaches have taken notice,” Conley said. “They’re giving me more opportunities. I’m staying in there longer on drives and getting more opportunities in the passing game. Aaron’s been giving me shots and I’ve been capitalizing on them.
“It’s been a blessing and I’m thankful to those guys for giving me those opportunities.”
