No matter what happens in the NFL, Ladd McConkey will always be one of the greatest players in Georgia football history. The former three-star recruit from Chatsworth, Georgia near the Tennessee border dreamed of playing for the Vols growing up. However, an undersized athlete was not going to get the offer to play quarterback out of high school like he had envisioned. A tough choice was made.
McConkey initially played quarterback, wide receiver, defensive back and punter on his high school team. Knowing that his football future was hanging in the balances, he quietly made his name on the recruting trail as a receiver. First, the Vanderbilt offer came. Then came the Georgia one, and the rest is history. McConkey would go on to be the No. 34 overall pick in 2024 after an amazing UGA career.
FanSided's Sterling Holmes spoke with McConkey about his position change, on behalf of Dr Pepper.
"Oh, I for sure got tired. I would be gassed out there on the field. But no, I just knew that was probably my best opportunity. I'm not the biggest guy. I don't have the strongest arm. So as much as I love quarterback, I knew I'd probably have a better path playing receiver. Like, when I would go to camps and stuff, I'd go play receiver."
Here is the entire conversation Holmes had with McConkey on behalf of Dr Pepper over on YouTube.
By choosing to play wide receiver, McConkey has extended his playing career by easily a decade.
Ladd McConkey picking wide receiver over quarterback gave him a career
At Georgia, McConkey won two national championships and the Wuerffel Trophy. He hauled in 119 career catches for 1,687 yards and 14 touchdowns over three seasons. As a runner, McConkey had 13 career carries for 216 yards and four additional trips to pay dirt. So far in his NFL career for the Chargers, McConkey has 133 career receptions for 1,780 yards and 11 touchdowns in 26 games.
What has helped McConkey thrive at all levels of football is his tremendous route-running and lateral quickness in space. When he has the ball in his hands, he is electrifying. Having a background as a quarterback gives him an advantage in understanding the timing of the passing game and overall route concepts. See, it is not just his athleticism that has gotten him this far, but his football savvy.
With the second half of the NFL season ahead of him, all McConkey can do is put his best foot forward for the Chargers every week. As an alum of the University of Georgia, all he can really do is root on the Dawgs and hope they can put the Texas Longhorns in their place on Saturday night. McConkey only lost four games in college, and three of those times came to nemesis Alabama...
Ahead of the Texas game, McConkey shared what Georgia fans can do with the help of Dr Pepper.
"Yeah, Dr Pepper is awesome. What they do, like in college football, bringing the fans' experience together, getting everybody to buy in. They're having like a little Pepper portal for the game coming up this week in Athens. So they have one in Athens, one in Texas, and fans can kind of go back and forth. Dawgs fans can show them what Dawg Nation is all about, call the Dawgs, bark at them a little bit. So yeah, it's a, it's just a cool experience. I'm excited to be able to partner with them."
It is hard to describe what Dr Pepper is beyond 23 flavors, just like putting McConkey's game in a box.
Ladd McConkey spoke with FanSided on behalf of Dr Pepper.