MASSILLON It’s getting to the point where, when Ohio State coach Urban Meyer wants something — at least recruiting-wise — he has a good chance of getting it. That certainly was the case for Massillon’s Gareon Conley, who committed to play for Meyer last week.
“I like Urban Meyer a lot,” Conley said Monday afternoon. “I just know that he can make me a better player. I want to play for him. He’s going to make me a better player and a better man.”
Six months ago, the thought of Conley playing for Ohio State would have seemed far-fetched. After all, he had made a verbal commitment to play for the Buckeyes’ hated rival, the University of Michigan, in March.
But things began to change as the Tigers’ 2012 season went along. Conley grew more and more uncertain that Michigan — which was one of the first schools to offer him a scholarship in the spring — was the right fit.
Once the season ended with Massillon’s regional-championship loss to Whitmer, Conley began pondering where he would eventually take his talents after high school. In the end, it came down to Michigan, Ohio State and Oregon, which had visited with Conley during the season.
And, as has become quite common since Meyer arrived in Columbus, what the Buckeye coach wants, he has been getting.
“He just talked about the training and how hard you train and things that make you better,” Conley said. “He just talked about my game and everything he likes about it. He just said how much better I could be if I kept working.”
Not only did Conley’s final school choice change, but his final position may also have. When he committed to Michigan, most expected him to play cornerback.
However, during his senior season, Conley blossomed into one of the state’s premier wide receivers, earning first-team All-Ohio honors after catching 50 passes for 1,096 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Conley acknowledges that he would like to play receiver at Ohio State. However, he also admitted that he could end up playing cornerback.
“Wide receiver, I wanted to play that,” said Conley, who will join ex-Tiger Devin Smith in Columbus. “I took advantage of it this year and just played my best. I’ll play either one. I just want to get on the field.”
With Friday’s commitment to Ohio State — which won’t become binding until National Signing Day in February — it brought an end to what has been a hectic and head-spinning recruiting process for Conley, who is tabbed as one of the top senior prospects in Ohio by many recruiting sites. But Conley admits he didn’t let any of the external things affect him when it came to the process of picking his final school.
“It’s not that frustrating,” Conley said. “People are going to say what they’re going to say. I don’t really care what they have to say. I just have to do what I’ve got to do. Now that I’m finished, I can start my preparations for the Buckeyes.”
That’s not to say he didn’t hear plenty of accolades from family and friends when he finally decided to become a Buckeye.
“Everybody loved it,” Conley said with a smile. “Everybody wants me to stay home and be Buckeye. I wanted to; I’m an Ohio boy.”
