Small town to ASU: How Jalin Conyers became a major college player and NFL draft prospect
Jalin Conyers knew better than to get in trouble during his last two years of high school. His mother Kimberly was the principal at Gruver High School, a small school of 150 or so students in the Panhandle part of Texas. The school only had two hallways.
Grain elevators outnumber traffic lights in Gruver. The only restaurant in town, the Gruver Cafe, is open until 2 p.m.
Conyers, who played his first two years at an only slightly bigger West Texas High School in Stinnett just south of Gruver, has gone from small-town quarterback prospect to a potential NFL tight end in a few short years. He had a breakout season at Arizona State in 2022 and will be looking to build on that when the Sun Devils open the new season on Aug. 31 against Southern Utah.
"It sucked. I couldn’t get away with anything at all," Conyers laughed about having his mother work in the same building where he went to school. "She knew if I was missing an assignment or late for class. But it's all good because it shaped me into the person I am today."
Conyers, a solidly built 6-foot-4, 265-pounder, is one of the most engaging players in Tempe. He has his own podcast and is a frequent guest on those hosted by others. Not surprisingly, he was one of the players accompanying head coach Kenny Dillingham to Pac-12 Football Media Day last month in Las Vegas.
Whether it is dealing with the media or getting work in on the practice field, Conyers always looks like he is having a good time. He truly loves the game and all that entails.
"If you don’t love football and everything that goes with it, you’re not going to stick at this level," tight ends coach Jason Mohns said. "That’s another thing truly special about Jalin. He loves football. He loves to compete. He loves to be around his teammates. He loves to be around his coaches. He’s a pleaser. Those are the guys that can have success and play this game for a long time."
Last season Conyers tallied 38 catches for 422 yards and five touchdowns, which might seem modest but they're stellar numbers for a tight end. He had 30 of those catches in the last five games of the season, highlighted by a breakout performance at Colorado in which he managed six catches for 108 yards and three touchdowns.
That showing is all the more noteworthy because Conyers is still relatively new to the position. He was a quarterback in high school but as is typically the case at a smaller school, Conyers had a lot of interests. Not only did he play football, but he competed in basketball, baseball, track and golf. He starred in the school's drama productions.
Conyers grew up a diehard fan of Texas Tech and that was the school that made him his first Division I offer. He was tempted to commit on the spot but then-coach Matt Wells encouraged him to take his time with such a monumental decision. Just as Wells thought might be the case, Conyers' recruitment took off and he had a lot of suitors.
Sun Devils: 15 quarterbacks left the ASU program since Trenton Bourguet arrived. Why has he stayed?
'Nappy Hour': Arizona State boosters Nap Lawrence, Fast Eddie drink to a week like no other
Conyers is proof that if you're a talented player, they can find you anywhere. Even in the smallest of towns. You don't have to play at a private school or a traditional power to get noticed. He was sought after by the biggest brands in college football, taking visits to Ohio State and Georgia among others. He had offers from other elite programs in USC, Penn State and Oregon but ended up signing with Oklahoma.
"I get asked all the time why I chose to stay at a small school. Why didn't I go to a bigger program. I was just happy where I was at," he said.
His college career didn't exactly start out the way he hoped. His freshman year was the COVID-19 season in 2020. Not only was that something to contend with, but Conyers found himself buried on the depth chart behind some coveted prospects and the school had moved him to wide receiver, hoping he would pack on some pounds and get stronger for a possible move back to tight end.
So he hit the transfer portal. Just days later Conyers enrolled at ASU, which had recruited him out of high school and was one of his final six choices.
"The biggest thing for me was timing. Just based on players in front of me that were elite guys, all literally in the NFL right now, to me having to sit and wait three more years to get my turn, was good for some people but I wanted to get on the field and start developing as soon as possible," he said.
Conyers admits that having a good 2022 put him on the radar of other schools again and many tried to lure him away with promises of more lucrative NIL deals. But he says he transferred once and didn't want to have to do so a second time. Again, it came down to one thing.
"I'm happy. The biggest thing was being patient and having a plan," he said. "I knew getting in the transfer portal I wasn’t going to do anything just because of money. At the end of the day, I’m going to make money doing what I love whether it's now or later. If it's later, that's fine."
Now Conyers is focused on improving and having a strong enough season he can put himself in a position to be drafted. Among the points of emphasis are his route running and run blocking at the point of attack. He laughs about not being the fastest tight end out there but says that's why he prides himself on being able to run over defenders and being difficult to bring down.
"Going into this season my goal is to replicate what I did the last 5 games. Make that 12 games. I want to come in not being satisfied, not being complacent, still got a lot of job to do. I see the guys people mention as the top prospects and I just want to put my name in that conversation so when they look at the boards they say, `This dude from ASU is a dog too.' "
Related: Big 12 move will enhance ASU football's efforts at recruiting in Texas
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU football's Jalin Conyers focused on having strong season
