Heavily Recruited 2022 OL Josh Conerly has High Praise for Oklahoma
It’s not hard to spot Josh Conerly on tape.
Standing 6-foot-6 and tipping the scales at 275 pounds, the Seattle product utterly dwarfs the other 21 players on the field.
But Conerly didn’t become Washington’s top 2022 offensive line prospect on his size alone. It’s his effortless quickness — cultivated through years of competition on the hardwood — that makes him an elite football recruit.
“I feel like basketball has helped me in a lot of different ways: my feet, my ability to move,” Conerly said. “I’m [also] pretty fortunate to have a trainer, one that lives pretty close to my house. I always have my trainer that I can work with whenever.”
As anyone who recalls Sandra Bullock’s opening voiceover in The Blind Side knows, the ideal offensive tackle is both huge and highly mobile. Size only carries offensive linemen so far.
That’s why Conerly has made his footwork a particular point of emphasis.
College coaches across the nation have taken notice, not the least of whom is revered Oklahoma offensive line czar Bill Bedenbaugh. On Monday, Bedenbaugh officially extended a scholarship offer to Conerly.
“My head coach from my school told me to call Coach Bedenbaugh, and I talked to him, got to know him,” Conerly said. “I asked him questions, he asked me questions. It was actually pretty surprising — I didn’t think they were going to offer me at first. When they did, I was extremely pumped.”
It was Conerly’s 14th offer from an FBS program, but this one meant a little bit more to the Rainier Beach High standout.
“That’s probably one of the biggest offers you can get as an offensive lineman,” Conerly said. “So I was really pumped about it. Shoot, they’re winners. They win a lot of games, win a lot of bowl games, win the Big 12 pretty much every year.”
There’s just one fly in the ointment: Seattle is 1,989 miles from Norman. And Conerly admits that the thought of being that far from his family raises some concerns.
“First things first, I’m gonna choose where I feel fits the best,” he said. “But ... my mom and dad, they don’t like to miss my games at all. That’s what makes it hard to choose a school that far from home.”
So which other programs stand out to Conerly thus far?
“Well, of course, OU,” he said. “But also, Oregon was the school I grew up watching. I’ve started to like Cal. I really do like Cal.”
Conerly also has offers from the two in-state powers in Washington and Washington State. But as the offers continue to pile up, he doesn’t just want college coaches to see a physical freak. He prides himself on intelligence, both on and off the field.
“Where I’m from in Seattle, our school is usually characterized as not a good school or ghetto or whatever,” Conerly said. “So I really want [coaches] to know that I’m intellectual.”
However, he’s fully aware that his natural ability in the trenches will ultimately be the selling point.
“Physically, man, I’m big,” he said. “I can move. I can be the most athletic guy on the field, no matter the position.”
Conerly is just a sophomore, and he admittedly needs to bulk up and add muscle before he’s fully ready to hit the gridiron as a collegian. But that’s a challenge he’s ready to face head-on. Furthermore, his diligent pursuit of personal development isn’t strictly confined to the football field.
“I’m definitely going to get better; I’m going to get bigger, faster, stronger,” he promised. “But honestly, I want to put myself out there more as a person. I don’t really want to just be known as a football player; I want to be known for way more than that.”
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