Before Zack Conti joined Southern Miss football a scholarship gift changed everything

HATTIESBURG — Zack Conti oftentimes made sure he worked out with the freshmen during his five seasons with Eastern Michigan football.

It depended on the time of year, but some days looked like this: Workout with the freshmen at 6 a.m., go to work either in landscaping or at his dad’s hardwood flooring company, come back for more football practice, then back to work if necessary.

That’s because Conti, now an offensive lineman at Southern Miss, was never on a scholarship. He was a walk-on at Eastern Michigan and needed an income.

“When I was going through it, it didn't feel like it was any sort of struggle really,” Conti said. “It felt like I was just doing what every other college student was doing and then coming to football practice and trying to get better at that as well.”

But then last August, fans across the nation were introduced to Conti because of the kindness of one of his former teammates, Brian Dooley.

Dooley, a fellow offensive lineman, gave up his scholarship so Conti could have one at Eastern Michigan.

“It wasn't a tough decision at all because I think he earned it,” Dooley said. “Every single step, he checked all the boxes, he put in the work and he's an unbelievable guy. He's awesome. I'm happy that everything was able to work out.”

Why Brian Dooley gave Zack Conti his scholarship

Conti, a native of Trenton, Michigan, was a preferred walk-on at Eastern Michigan. He tried to walk-on at Michigan, but his grades weren’t high enough. He received zero stars from 247Sports.

Dooley is a year older than Conti. He’s out of eligibility and training with the hopes of being selected in NFL Draft or becoming an undrafted free agent.

A year ago, Dooley learned Conti was struggling. He’d been balancing football, work and school for four years and began to wonder if he could continue doing it. He even started to donate blood for extra cash. That’s when Dooley first got the idea.

He also realized he could bring light to some of the challenges of NIL — especially for schools like Eastern Michigan that don’t have a strong NIL presence.

The process involved conversations with Eastern Michigan coach Chris Creighton and athletic director Scott Wetherbee. Of course, he also needed to explain it to his parents.

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“She (Dooley’s mom) loved it,” Dooley said. “She was fully behind me and supported my decision 100%. My uncle, who's been close with me my whole life, was like, 'Don't worry, we'll figure this out.' He's a banker back in Ohio.”

At a team meeting on Aug. 3, Dooley surprised Conti with the scholarship.

“After spring ball, I had talked to my last head coach a bit and we had discussed putting me on scholarship over there,” Conti said. “They basically told me they were doing every single thing they can to make it happen, so I knew something was in the works, but I didn't really know what. And then when it all happened, I was just so thankful for it all. All my hard work paid off at that point.”

The story and video went viral with various national news outlets picking it up. Dooley and Conti were also honored at a Detroit Lions preseason game.

“I didn't think it'd get this much attention but I'm grateful that it did,” Dooley said. “I'm glad that Conti's story got out there and he earned that scholarship.”

Zack Conti and Brian Dooley receive invite to Super Bowl

Eastern Michigan went 6-7 in 2023. Conti started 11 games at left guard and played by far the most snaps (624) in his career, while Dooley started 12 games at right tackle.

Not too long after Conti transferred to Southern Miss in late December, the league surprised Dooley and Conti with tickets to Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas.

The two of them were sitting in their seats in the stadium bowl when an NFL rep came up to them in the fourth quarter and asked if they wanted to watch the rest of the game elsewhere, though he kept it a secret.

Conti and Dooley followed the rep and were brought into a suite at midfield. Among those in the suite were NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and numerous celebrities including Elon Musk, Paul Rudd, Eric Stonestreet, Jim Kelly, and Cameron Heyward.

“It was really cool,” Conti said. “I was starstruck when I met all those guys. Roger Goodell is a face you see on the internet all the time, but when you see him in person, it's really crazy.”

Zack Conti is expected to have a big role with Southern Miss

Conti said he entered the transfer portal because he wanted a place to "compete at a high level and just focus on nothing but football and getting better."

He had no prior connections to Southern Miss. However, one of his coaches at Eastern Michigan knew Southern Miss wide receivers coach Desmond Lindsey.

Conti obtained Lindsey’s phone number and contacted him once he was in the transfer portal. Hours later, the Golden Eagles, who lost four of their five starting offensive linemen from last season, extended Conti an offer.

“This was a school that marked off everything I was looking for,” Conti said. “The coaching staff, the offense they run, the guys here, I loved it all.”

Conti, at 6-foot-6, 325 pounds, spent most of the spring playing with the first team at left guard.

“We felt like we had a lot of talent at O-Line but we needed to bring an older guy in,” coach Will Hall said. “Zack’s a guy that is a Southern Miss guy. He’s just now gotten here and he’s just a great character, high fiber, loves football, big kid that’s played a lot of minutes and brings a lot of experience and a lot of character in that room.”

He’s on scholarship at Southern Miss, and no longer working a job. Just football and school.

Sam Sklar is the Southern Miss beat reporter for the Hattiesburg American. Email him at ssklar@hattiesb.gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.

This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Why Southern Miss lineman Zack Conti was recognized by NFL at Super Bowl