Top tight end prospect Jayvontay Conner will announce his college decision this Wednesday at 5 p.m.
Conner, who grew up in Opelika, Ala., and recently moved to North Carolina where he attends East Forsyth High School, just dropped his top six, a group that includes UCF, Maryland, Florida State, Mississippi State, South Carolina and Virginia Tech. He said it's now a top seven to reflect a recent offer from Texas A&M.
Last Wednesday, Conner was in Florida to check out UCF.
"It was real nice," Conner said. "I really enjoyed myself. They showed me a lot of love. I talked to (tight ends) Coach (Brian) Blackmon, (offensive coordinator) Coach (Chip) Lindsey and Coach (Gus) Malzahn. I sat down and had great conversations with everybody.
"I'm real interested in UCF. They were one of the first schools that started recruiting me. I feel the program is going up in a real good way. They've been really good the past few seasons. They're on the rise."
How did he like meeting Coach Malzahn?
"I grew up an Auburn fan, so meeting him was real cool," Conner said. "We talked about everything, just sat down and kicked it. It was one of those things. We have a real good bond and everything. It was my first time meeting him, but it was like I've known him for a long time."
Conner came up as a wide receiver, but most schools are recruiting him to play tight end in college. As a junior at Opelika, he caught 24 passes for 405 yards and six touchdowns.
"They told me how I'd be a great fit," Conner said of UCF. "They said I'd be the only tight end they'll take in my class if I were to go there. I was really trained as a wide receiver. I'm really a wide receiver playing tight end, that's how I look at it. They like the fact I can run. I run good routes. I have a lot of things that tight ends don't usually have coming out of high school."
His UCF recruiter is his would-be position coach, Brian Blackmon, who is a former head coach at Opelika High School (2009-16).
"When I first started playing football, his son (Cade Blackmon) was one of the first quarterbacks I threw with," Conner said. "I've known his son for a long time. I have a real good relationship with Coach Blackmon and his whole family. That would be a real good factor if I were to go there."
Conner met a few players on his visit, including tight end Jordan Davis. He liked the area too.
"It was real nice around UCF," he said. "They've got a lot of stuff to do outside of football within the City of Orlando."
Around the time Conner was dropping his top six, he had a conversation with Texas A&M assistant coach Dameyune Craig who told him the Aggies were offering as well.
"I know Texas A&M is a real good program," Conner said. "They have some real good tight end sets. We talked about a possible visit over the summer."
Conner will announce his decision this Wednesday at 5 p.m. inside the gymnasium at East Forsyth High.
"My biggest thing is the relationships," Conner said. "The second thing is how they use their tight end. No. 3 is whether I can enjoy myself on campus outside of playing football. I'm looking at it like if I wasn't a football player, would I want to go there?"
