CHAPEL HILL – Khalil Conley enters Chapel Hill as one of seven defensive backs in North Carolina’s No. 21 ranked recruiting class. The 3-star recruit is an early enrollee for Mack Brown and the Tar Heels, joining the program as the No. 35 rated prospect in the state.
Conley hails from Christ School in Arden, where he helped guide the Greenies to four consecutive NCISAA playoff appearances.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound athlete joined North Carolina ahead of last month’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl, participating in four practices ahead of the tilt with West Virginia.
Prior to the Tar Heels’ season finale in Charlotte, Conley met with a few members of the media to discuss practicing early, enrolling early, and his future in Chapel Hill.
Below is both a transcript from the interview and Conley’s official bio from UNC:
· An all-state and four-time all-conference performer
· Carolinas Athletic Association player of the year
· Tabbed the No. 2 player in the Asheville Citizen Times and Hendersonville Times News Elite Eight
· Started prep career as a quarterback before switching to cornerback and wide receiver as a junior and senior
· Tallied 72 tackles, six INTs and 22 PBU on defense, while posting 987 receiving yards and 10 TDs, 592 rushing yards and 11 TDs, and 1,566 passing yards and 22 TDs as a prepster
· Earned NCISAA Division I all-state honors at cornerback as a senior
· Posted 38 tackles, three INTs and 15 PBU, while adding 228 receiving yards and four TDs
· Notched 34 tackles, three INTs and seven PBU as a junior
· Tallied 779 receiving yards and eight TDs that year
· Also competed in basketball and baseball
· An all-academic team member
· Coached by Chad Walker
Q: What does this day (National Signing Day) feel like?
CONLEY: “It’s exciting, definitely being a dream I had since I was a kid. To see it all kind of come to fruition, it’s exciting. The past couple [of] years, especially when I got to high school, I worked really hard to get to this point. To see it all come so fast, straight from high school to college, it’s exciting and a lot of pressure I put on myself to get here.”
Q: When did you get here and what’s practice been like for you?
CONLEY: “I want to say Thursday or Friday I got here. They’ve been really good on slowly taking us along so it’s not right into from high school to college because it can be a big jump. The coaches have made it easy so my transition was smooth.”
Q: Your last time on the high school field you were one of the big guys out there, one of the big dogs, one of the studs. You walk into here and they’re all over the place. What was that like, walking into a room where there’s a bunch of other guys like you and more experienced guys like that?
CONLEY: “I love it. I’m a competitor so I like to compete. I also like to learn things and pick up from the older guys. Everyone here is nice and they bring the best out of you, especially when iron sharpens iron. It reminds me of high school when I was a freshman wanting to play varsity [and] seeing all the older guys, trying to learn. [It] kind of brings me back to that.”
Q: Is there an ‘oh wow’ moment?
CONLEY: “Probably when I moved into the locker room or my first team meeting. That was kind of like ‘I’m here.’” I’ve met some of the guys, but I haven’t really talked to them. I’ve seen them through a screen, but now when I’m seeing them face-to-face, it’s kind of surreal to think that these are my teammates. All of them are really nice people.”
Q: Have they embraced you, and made it easy?
CONLEY: They have. All the coaches have been good, and the same as they were when they recruited me. They’re honest, which I love. The coaches [and] the players are good. I feel like we all get together.”
Q: You said you got to work with the older guys. Is there anyone in particular that you have taken you under their wing?
CONLEY: “I would say Tre Miller [and] Kaleb Cost. We all play defensive back, so they’re the ones I’m around the most, whether that’s in position groups or individuals drills. Those two guys have kind of been a bigger brother or someone I can really talk to about how the whole thing goes. If I have a question, I go to those guys.”
Q: What kind of competitor are you? Tell us what your strengths are, and one of your personal highlights from high school.
CONLEY: “I’ve always been coachable, able to adapt. Coach tells me one things or I mess up on one play, that’s all it’s going to take for me to get into the swing of things. I think that can be a really good thing to have being adaptable, being flexible, and being coachable. I’m able to overcome change. I like to cover. I like to play man. I like all of those things await.”
Q: Have you gotten a chance to do any of that?
CONLEY: Not too much live. I’ve been doing drills. They’ve been critiquing my technique, [telling me] stuff I need to work on when going against bigger, faster receivers. Not everything I can get away with in high school I can get away with in college when I’m playing against experienced and better guys, so I have been working on my technique and craft.”
