After a brief respite in the hills of Northwest Georgia, the Chatsworth Cheetah—a most appropriate byname for Ladd McConkey—has returned to Los Angeles with his sights set on continuing his football career with the Chargers. The Chargers have a highly regarded quarterback, Justin Herbert, and a new coach, Jim Harbaugh.
McConkey has not brought up the results of the 2021 Orange Bowl with his new coach, but he has reserved a little needling for the Charger assistants who were members of the Michigan staff for that game, which Georgia won 34-11.
“You should be thankful we did not get into the playoffs this past season, or you might not have won the national title,” Ladd kidded them during recent OTAs (Organized Team Activities).
In that game, which enabled the Bulldogs to move on to play Alabama for the national championship, McConkey caught two passes for 14 yards and had one rush for eight yards.
Ever the team player, he recently said, “We had nine guys catch balls in that Orange Bowl game, which means that the team stats are the most important stats.”
McConkey’s refreshing resume is deserving of longevity. In addition to a storybook high school and college career, if he flourishes with the Chargers, he will utilize the experience to do some good for the world. That is likely to happen anyway. He is certainly not the one-dimensional athlete we are so often introduced to. McConkey is just as proud of his degree from the Terry College of Business at UGA as he is of his two national championship rings.
He played his final season as a college graduate and won a National Football Foundation postgraduate scholarship.
McConkey grew up playing sports and excelling, but he loved it for the pure joy of competition. The fun of playing with an accent on versatility makes you aware that his refreshing attitude remains the same as it was back in Murray County. Football, basketball, baseball, track—it didn’t matter the season; he was eager to compete. Pickup games were as constant as sunrises. He was simply having fun.
His 6-0, 185-pound frame cast him as a “little guy,” but his results set McConkey apart. He was adept at making big plays that had game-changing effects.
McConkey’s self-scouting report discloses that while he wasn’t the biggest or the strongest in his developmental years, “I could run pretty fast.”
He confirms that athletic alacrity runs in his family. Competition, too. Early on, he wanted to outdo his older brother Hinton. You know who had the advantage, initially. But it was a different story when my little brother grew up a bit. The process, however, brought significant dividends for developing a young man with a perennial smile.
Now McConkey faces the greatest challenge of his young life. Every Charger is bigger and better than most players he crossed swords with during his time as a Southeastern Conference receiver. Never the cocky, trash-talking type, he remains enamored with competition at its highest level, and his confidence brings about a belief and faith that his next chapter in football will be favorable.
Attention to detail is part of McConkey’s DNA, and he relishes time spent in the tape room. He respects the veteran players, and his first impression led him to understand graphically that pro football is a business.
He believes his Georgia experience has prepared him to play in the NFL. “The Charger offense is very familiar. We like to run the ball and utilize the play-action passing game, just like it was with the Bulldogs,” he says.
Today, he is enjoying football just as he always has, but he knows it will not last forever, which raises the question of what he wants to do when the reality of life after football comes about.
“Maybe coach,” McConkey says with a grin. “Like on the high school level, help young kids.”
Altruism runs deep in his makeup, which means that when McConkey settles down in the community of choice, he will not only be a good neighbor but also extend a helping hand to those in need.
It would be difficult to find a more all-American boy than Ladd McConkey, the mountain kid who followed his heart to the next level, but we can rejoice in the belief that the best is yet to come for him.