ATHENS — Funny how things work out sometimes. That’s what Preston Poag was thinking this week about his former star player, Ladd McConkey.
McConkey, who played for Poag at North Murray High, started in the slot Saturday for the Georgia Bulldogs against No. 3 Clemson. The redshirt freshman got the start primarily because senior Kearis Jackson was not fully recovered from offseason knee surgery.
And Jackson is someone with whom Poag and McConkey are very familiar. Jackson absolutely lit up their Mountaineers’ team in the playoffs in Jackson’s senior year at Peach County High.
“Kearis absolutely killed us,” said Poag, able to laugh about it years later. “Catching the ball, returning kicks. I’m telling you, I thought for sure he was going to be a superstar. He was the best I’d ever seen in high school.”
That night in Fort Valley, Jackson had 220 yards all-purpose yards and three touchdowns — in the first half. Peach County’s 49-7 win eliminated North Murray from the playoffs.
McConkey was a 140-pound sophomore wideout on that North Murray team. But, Poag asserted, he belonged on that field that night in Fort Valley. And he believes McConkey belonged on the field at Bank of America Stadium against Clemson on Saturday.
Just way before anybody expected.
“Ladd’s always been smaller, going all the way back to little league ball,” Poag said. “His freshman year in high school, he looked like a seventh grader. He was tiny. But I’m gonna tell you, he always knew how to play. And he always had a lot of wiggle. People miss him. I know they liked him up at Georgia because of that. I thought it might take a while.”
McConkey eventually took over at quarterback for the North Murray. He also played safety on defense and returned kicks. The Mountaineers were undefeated in Region 6-3A his senior year and reached the quarterfinals of the 2019 Class 3A playoffs.
Credit: Mackenzie Miles
Credit: Mackenzie Miles
As for the Bulldogs, they believed McConkey would develop into a decent receiver one day. But their primary interest in him was as a kick returner. It’s within that particular discipline that McConkey’s special set of athletic traits truly stand out.
That’s what makes McConkey starting Georgia’s opener so ironic. McConkey played the slot because Georgia didn’t believe Jackson’s knee was well enough for him to take a bunch of offensive snaps. And Jackson returned punts because the Bulldogs weren’t sure if McConkey was ready to handle such an important responsibility on such a big stage.
It’s likely the two Georgia players eventually will switch those roles. Regardless, McConkey is thrilled to have a role, at this point.
“It was a great experience, finally getting out there with full capacity and all the fans and the atmosphere was great,” McConkey said of getting his first collegiate action. “Just going out there and being able to compete with my teammates, there’s nothing like it.”
For McConkey, it was a quiet debut, just as it was for the entire Georgia offense. He had two catches for 12 yards with a long gain of eight. But the Bulldogs’ 10-3 win catapulted them to No. 2 in the nation, and McConkey has fully exorcised whatever jitters might’ve been within him.
With Georgia’s receiving corps still in varying degrees of injury-related disarray, McConkey remains in the Bulldogs’ plans as they prepare for Saturday’s home opener against Alabama-Birmingham (3:30 p.m., ESPN2). Just the fact that coach Kirby Smart tabbed McConkey for Wednesday night’s post-practice interview duty is a testament to that.
McConkey seemed to enjoy that moment, too. He laughed as reporters tried to pin him down about his true height and weight. He’s somewhat generously listed on Georgia’s roster as being 6 feet tall and weighing 185 pounds.
McConkey said he was “maybe a buck-65 (165 pounds) soaking wet” when he signed with the Bulldogs in December 2019. He said Smart wants him at 185 and that he’s “getting there” with the help of UGA’s nutritionists.
But McConkey is glad to do whatever is asked by Georgia. He never expected to be at such a place.
UGA was the only Power 5 scholarship offer McConkey receive, and it was very late in coming. Had he not signed with the Bulldogs, Poag said McConkey probably would have gone to Tennessee-Chattanooga.
Had McConkey been able to live out his boyhood dream, he’d be playing for that other Tennessee. He grew up a Volunteers fan.
“Because of my grandfather, it was how my dad was raised, and so we all grew up Tennessee fans,” said McConkey, whose high school also sits 15 miles from the Tennessee state line. “But once (Georgia) offered me and I got up here, there was no denying that this is where I needed to be.”
Had the Vols been a little more persistent, they could have had McConkey.
“The day after Kirby was here to see Ladd, (Vols offensive coordinator) Jim Chaney came to see him,” Poag said. “I told him, ‘If y’all offer him, y’all will get him.’ But they wouldn’t offer him because of his size. And I told him, ‘You’ll regret it.’ Of course, they’re not there anymore.”
No, that last Tennessee regime is long gone. But Smart and the Bulldogs are still very much around and right in the thick of things in college football.
And there is little ol’ McConkey, right there in the thick of it with them. He’s expected to get his second consecutive start Saturday and might even return some punts this time.
“This early, yeah, it’s probably a little surprising,” Poag said of McConkey becoming a starter.
Meanwhile, McConkey’s enjoying the ride.
“It was an awesome experience just getting out there and really feeling everything comes along with playing for the University of Georgia,” he said. “It’s a great feeling.”
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