'26 OL Will Conroy "definitely" wants to return to Kentucky following gameday visit

Class of 2026 offensive lineman Will Conroy has seen his recruitment blow up this fall. It started off with a pair of in-state offers for the Cleveland (OH) St. Ignatius product from Akron and Toledo in mid-September. A trip to Ohio State followed in the coming days before Oregon reached out with his first Power 5 offer.

From there, it’s been a constant stream of talking with college coaches. The likes of Arizona, Purdue, Arizona State, Miami (FL), Virginia Tech, and Central Florida have since extended scholarships. Kentucky did the same earlier this month and then brought Conroy to Lexington this past weekend for his first-ever trip to campus. Although it’s still early in his recruiting process, the 6-foot-3, 275-pound high school sophomore thoroughly enjoyed his time and is high on the Wildcats.

“Even my mom said it. It felt like a community. It didn’t feel like a college, which we really like,” Conroy told KSR. “It could really be one of my landing spots. It did really feel like I could see myself there. It was definitely worth the trip down.”

Conroy was able to meet associate head coach Vince Marrow and offensive line coach Zach Yenser in person for the first time during his visit over the weekend. Marrow, who has plenty of connections to the state of Ohio, initiated the contact and the two sides have talked ever since.

“Both really good conversations,” Conroy said. “It felt like they truly wanted me and I like that. I like that they knew I was coming too. One of my prior visits, it didn’t really feel like I was wanted, if that makes sense. But at Kentucky it felt really good. My mom never says she’s like anything and she was like ‘I love it here. It feels like home.’ That really speaks to me.”

Thank you @UKFootball for an amazing experience yesterday. It truly opened my eyes to see what Kentucky is all about. Can’t wait to be back down in Lexington and keep building relationships with the coaches.Also thank you @vincemarrow @OL_Coach_Yenser it was amazing. #BBN pic.twitter.com/esFZMrX0Dd

— Will Conroy (@Wconroy56) October 29, 2023

Conroy hails from the same high school as former Kentucky offensive lineman Darrian Kinnard, who was an All-American with the Wildcats in 2021 and is now with the Kansas City Chiefs. The two have met a couple of times. Like Kinnard, Conroy primarily plays right tackle. However, Conroy, who also intends to wrestle this season, sees himself moving inside to guard or even center at the college level. He’s not the “largest” guy right now, but he possesses plenty of skills in other areas.

“My feet are very good. Just my mindset. You’re not gonna get by me and I’m gonna basically kill you,” Conroy added. “I love football so much because I can go out and physically move someone with my own power and there’s nothing they can do about it.

“My energy, the way I play the game. Linemen are traditionally super big dudes who have a lot of meat on their bones. I’m a big dude, but I’m not huge. I’m 6-3, 275. I’m not an enormous guy, but my mindset I bring to the field, the way I can make plays and do it in a way that brings up my teammates as well. It’s all about what you can contribute to the o-line room. Right now my role is the leader, to bring everyone up when things aren’t going how we want.”

Looking ahead, Conroy says he has plans to visit Oregon and Miami (FL) next month. He also intends to go see Arizona State in the spring. He was at Michigan State earlier this month, but added that he “enjoyed Kentucky more” and “definitely” wants to come back for another visit in the spring.

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That’s definitely been the most organized, which I really appreciate.

I knew that they were interested.