John Conner (American football)
Encyclopedia
John Conner is an American football
fullback
. He is currently a member of the New York Jets
. Conner earned a 2009 College Football All-America Team
selection and was one of the best fullback prospects in the 2010 NFL Draft
. He is nicknamed "The Terminator" because of the name he shares with main character
from the popular movie franchise
and because of the crushing blocks he lays on defensive players.
in West Chester, Ohio
, where he was a two-year starter at running back
. He rushed for 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 6.3 yards per carry, as a senior. That year, Lakota West gained a 8–3 record and a berth in the state playoffs. Conner was subsequently named first-team All-Greater Miami Conference and honorable-mention All-Southwest Ohio.
Unrecognized as a prospect by the two major recruiting services, Rivals.com
and Scout.com
, Conner was not offered an athletic scholarship
, although he received some recruiting attention from Kentucky, Tennessee
, West Virginia
and Illinois
, among others. He eventually chose to walk on with the Kentucky Wildcats.
and retained the year of eligibility.
In his redshirt freshman season, Conner played in all 13 games, starting the first three at fullback. In his sophomore year he also played all 13 games, starting four. He scored four touchdowns and also made two tackles in kick coverage.
By his junior year, Kentucky frequently opened with a fullback in the lineup, giving him 11 starts in 13 games. In a game versus Georgia
, Conner set career highs with seven rushes for 26 yards.
Prior to his senior season, Conner was named the "best blocking back" in the Southeastern Conference
in the Birmingham News 2009 preseason edition. After a solid performance throughout the season, Conner earned All-American honors by Pro Football Weekly, who places an extra premium on talent and draft value in the selection process.
, John Conner was selected in the fifth round (139th overall) by the New York Jets
. He was recognized while the Jets were scouting a linebacker but they noticed Conner throwing amazing blocks over and over again. Conner quickly became a team and coach favorite among the Jets in training camp/preseason with his blue collar attitude and crushing physical play. As documented in the HBO series Hard Knocks, Jets coach Rex Ryan constantly was in awe with the work ethic and tenacity of Conner.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
. He is currently a member of the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Conner earned a 2009 College Football All-America Team
2009 College Football All-America Team
An All-American team is an honorary sports team for a specific season composed of the best amateur players at each position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply "All-Americans". Although the honorees generally do not...
selection and was one of the best fullback prospects in the 2010 NFL Draft
2010 NFL Draft
The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. Unlike previous years, the 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first round on Thursday, April 22, 2010, at 7:30 pm...
. He is nicknamed "The Terminator" because of the name he shares with main character
John Connor
John Connor is a character appearing in the American science fiction Terminator franchise and he serves as the series main protagonist. Created by writer and director James Cameron, the character is first referred to in the 1984 film The Terminator and first appears portrayed by teenage actor...
from the popular movie franchise
Terminator (franchise)
The Terminator series is a science fiction franchise encompassing a series of films and other media concerning battles between Skynet's artificially intelligent machine network, and John Connor's Resistance forces and the rest of the human race....
and because of the crushing blocks he lays on defensive players.
High school career
Conner attended Lakota West High SchoolLakota West High School
Lakota West High School is a high school in the Lakota School District which compromises both West Chester Township and Liberty Township in a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio.From what once was a unified Lakota High School came both Lakota West and Lakota East...
in West Chester, Ohio
West Chester Township, Butler County, Ohio
West Chester Township, formerly known as Union Township, is a township located in the southeast corner of Butler County in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio, one of thirteen townships in the county. It is situated between Sharonville and Monroe, about 18 miles north of Cincinnati, and...
, where he was a two-year starter at running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
. He rushed for 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 6.3 yards per carry, as a senior. That year, Lakota West gained a 8–3 record and a berth in the state playoffs. Conner was subsequently named first-team All-Greater Miami Conference and honorable-mention All-Southwest Ohio.
Unrecognized as a prospect by the two major recruiting services, Rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
and Scout.com
Scout.com
Scout.com is an integrated sports publishing company that produces both an Internet and print product. Scout has more than 2.1 million visitors...
, Conner was not offered an athletic scholarship
Athletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
, although he received some recruiting attention from Kentucky, Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
, West Virginia
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
and Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
, among others. He eventually chose to walk on with the Kentucky Wildcats.
College career
As a true freshman at Kentucky, Conner appeared in the first three games of the 2005 season on special teams before sustaining a season-ending injury. He received a medical redshirtRedshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
and retained the year of eligibility.
In his redshirt freshman season, Conner played in all 13 games, starting the first three at fullback. In his sophomore year he also played all 13 games, starting four. He scored four touchdowns and also made two tackles in kick coverage.
By his junior year, Kentucky frequently opened with a fullback in the lineup, giving him 11 starts in 13 games. In a game versus Georgia
2008 Georgia Bulldogs football team
The 2008 Georgia Bulldogs football team competed in American football on behalf of the University of Georgia in 2008. The Bulldogs competed in the East Division of the Southeastern Conference . This was the Georgia Bulldogs' eighth season under the guidance of head coach Mark Richt...
, Conner set career highs with seven rushes for 26 yards.
Prior to his senior season, Conner was named the "best blocking back" in the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
in the Birmingham News 2009 preseason edition. After a solid performance throughout the season, Conner earned All-American honors by Pro Football Weekly, who places an extra premium on talent and draft value in the selection process.
Professional career
2010 NFL Draft
Considered one of the best fullbacks available in the 2010 NFL Draft2010 NFL Draft
The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. Unlike previous years, the 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first round on Thursday, April 22, 2010, at 7:30 pm...
, John Conner was selected in the fifth round (139th overall) by the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He was recognized while the Jets were scouting a linebacker but they noticed Conner throwing amazing blocks over and over again. Conner quickly became a team and coach favorite among the Jets in training camp/preseason with his blue collar attitude and crushing physical play. As documented in the HBO series Hard Knocks, Jets coach Rex Ryan constantly was in awe with the work ethic and tenacity of Conner.