Prized Kentucky DB Conyer Talks Vols, Recruitment

2023 South Warren (Ky.) defensive back Cristian Conyer quickly turned into one of the Southeast's most sought-after defenders heading into his junior season. His offer list continues to grow, and he continues to hear from numerous schools day in and out. He shares the latest on his process with Sports Illustrated All-American.

"I am hearing from Michigan, Michigan State, West Virginia, Indiana, Vanderbilt, a lot," Conyer said of teams reaching out frequently.

Despite the large number of programs reaching out, Conyer is currently focused on two SEC rivals in Kentucky and Tennessee.

The home state Wildcats are letting the 6'2", 175lbs defensive back know he is a priority.

"They are telling me they like my height and speed and just the way I play corner," Conyer said of what they see in his game. "They have been telling me they want me to play early for them," he said. "They think I can make an early impact since I am graduating in December. They want me to come there and get my body right so I would be ready to play."

To hear that pitch from the home state school is obviously special to a recruit, and it is no different for Conyer.

"I definitely have to keep that in the back of my head when signing day comes," he said of this.

Conyer says his best relationship at Kentucky is with associate head coach and tight ends coach Vince Marrow.

"We just talk about everyday life and what happened with football that week, the NFL, and stuff like that," Conyer said of his relationship with Marrow. "He has been down to the school to check in on me through my coaches already. I just feel like I can get along with him and the entire coaching staff at Kentucky."

The Vols are working hard to show the Blue Grass state standout how important he is to their class as well. He likes what he is seeing and hearing from Josh Heupel's program.

"I like their coaching staff, too," Conyer said of the Vols. "I like the relationship I have built with Coach Martinez, Coach BJ, and Coach T. I talk to them every Wednesday on the phone to just chop it up to see how everybody is doing. I feel a connection with them as well."

Tennessee also sees Conyer fitting in as an outside corner due to his length and athleticism, and like Kentucky, they view him of being an early impact player.

"They just say that I can come up there when I graduate early, get my body right, and they will do my best to get me ready to play right away," Conyer said of the message from the Vols.

He also likes how the up-tempo offense means that the defense is going to be on the field more frequently and the opportunity it presents to defenders in terms of taking risks to force turnovers.

"There is a big appeal with that," Conyer said. "It means you have to know your team and the players on the field around you and be ready to play at any time."

With the dead period set to lift in the coming weeks, Conyer has a trip planned to Knoxville and will work on one to Kentucky.

"I am headed to Tennessee on March 5th," he said. "Then, after that, I have to figure out a day to go to Kentucky sometime after that."

The visits over the next couple of months will be vital in his recruitment process as he does have a commitment timeline in mind.

"I am probably going to try and commit during the Summer going into my senior season," Conyer said of this. "It will just be whichever school gives me the right feeling of being comfortable and trusting the staff to go there for three to four years."

When asked, Conyer was clear about what a school will get in him whenever the time comes.

"They are going to get a hard-working corner that is just trying to get to the next level and will do anything to get there."