Chris Conley stood in the crowd of shiny black gowns and caps as UGA President Jere Morehead formally confirmed the candidates for degrees from the Grady College of Journalism. He and his classmates turned their red tassels from the right side of their caps to the left, a gesture representative of four and a half — or in Conley’s case, three and a half — years of academic work.
The wide receiver still has one more game left to play in red and black, but his time in the classroom is over. He, along with 11 other football players, are now alumni of the university.
The SEC recognized Conley as its Scholar-Athlete of the Year after the end of the regular season. Although Conley likely won’t make immediate use of his journalism degree — he has his sights set on a career in the NFL — he has an idea of how he’ll use it in life after football. His journalism aspirations include “mostly broadcasting,” he said.
“Whether it’s TV or radio, something of that nature,” Conley said. “Continuing to work on my writing, in terms of either stories or scripts. … Maybe doing some film work.”
He has ample experience both behind and in front of a camera, having created a “Star Wars” fan fiction short film that was released over the summer. The film, “Retribution” has been viewed 433,431 times on YouTube.
Quarterback Hutson Mason joined Conley in Stegeman Coliseum on Friday morning to be recognized for receiving his degree in communications studies. One of his immediate post-graduation plans includes tying the knot with his long-time girlfriend, Catherine McWalters. No date is set, but Mason said the couple is shooting for some time in July.
Mason proposed earlier this month at a plantation in Charleston, S.C.
“I asked her mom to kind of plan it out so that it was where we were going for her mom, not for me, because she knows I would never want to go to anything like that,” he said.
After doing a bit of research online, Mason found the perfect spot to pop the question to his high school sweetheart down by a river at the plantation. While on a tour with McWalters and her mother and sister, Mason stole her away to take her to a tree off in the distance as suggested by their guide.
“It was a good walk, about 50 yards,” he said. “It was one of the most awkward, long walks I’ve ever had in my life.”
Once the two made it to the spot, the quarterback used to facing one pass rush after another on Saturdays froze up for a moment.
“How do you (make a) smooth transition into getting down on one knee?” he said.
But that’s what life after college is all about — transitions, no matter how smooth or chaotic. One teammate of Mason’s who won’t face too many changes after completing undergraduate work at UGA is Kolton Houston.
The NCAA granted Houston’s request for a sixth season of eligibility on Dec. 12, giving the right tackle another season to play as a Bulldog.
The other Bulldogs who graduated Friday with Conley, Mason and Houston include Michael Bennett, Mark Beard, Adam Erickson, Austin Long, Taylor Maxey, A.J. McDonald, Greg Mulkey, Mike Thornton and Seth Watts.
