He grew up playing running back. Now, Rainier Beach’s Conerly is nation’s top-ranked lineman
Growing up, Josh Conerly Jr. played running back. He was always bigger than most of his teammates and opponents, but he was fast enough and quick enough to play the position. Then came high school. Once he got to be about 6-foot-1, 240 pounds, a position change was in order. So Rainier Beach (Seattle, Washington) coach Corey Sampson changed his number to 55 and moved him to the offensive line going into his sophomore year.
To his credit, Conerly didn’t resist the change. He wanted to do what was best for the team.
“I kind of knew that’s what I had to do,” Conerly said. “We lost our whole line.”
There were some growing pains. It was a new position, after all.
“Sophomore year, he was just learning it,” Sampson said. “He was just a big guy out there. He didn’t know how to block angles or techniques.”
In the second game of the season, Rainier Beach had a matchup against Higley, a school in Gilbert, Arizona. Higley had a highly-rated defensive end named Jason Harris, considered a four-star recruit. Harris stood at an intimidating 6-foot-7 and could get after the quarterback.
Conerly, in just his second start at left tackle, neutralized Harris for most of the game.
“I knew he was a big, long, like 6-8 kid,” Conerly said, laughing. “In order for us to have a chance to compete, I had to take care of him. With that being my second game playing tackle, I felt like I did pretty good. … It made me actually want to continue to learn my position. If I could compete with guys like that, I feel like I could compete with anybody.”
Rainier Beach lost the game, but Conerly was hooked. By that point, he had fully embraced playing the position, and, as the technique started to catch up to his immense natural talent, he became a national recruit. Conerly, a senior, is considered a five-star recruit by 247sports.com, the No. 1 player in Washington, the No. 1 offensive lineman in the country and a Top 10 recruit overall nationally. He holds 30 scholarship offers from the likes of Michigan, Miami, Oklahoma, UW, Oregon, USC and others.
Tennessee was the first school to offer during his sophomore year, on Oct. 1. Conerly was on the bus, riding to school in the morning.
“It was sort of unreal,” Conerly said. “I never really thought it would have come.”
Then came Nevada, then Oregon. When Conerly put out his sophomore season tape, the floodgates opened. The list of suitors is long and Conerly has his pick of schools, flying around the country for official visits before he makes his ultimate decision. He’s not planning to sign on National Signing Day on Wednesday, Feb. 2. He’ll take a few more official visits and eventually sign a financial aid agreement sometime in March or April. For the most part, Conerly said he’s enjoying the recruiting process.
“It’s something to enjoy,” he said. “It’s probably some of the best times I’ve had with my life. It can get overwhelming at times, but there’s a lot more fun. It’s more positives than negatives. … One of the hardest parts of the process is telling people that you’re not interested because you’d really just take an opportunity. Just being where I’m from, anybody would take any one of my offers. Just one. I had 30 to choose from.”
It’s easy to see why college coaches are salivating over Conerly’s skillset. He’s around 6-foot-5, 283 pounds these days. He has quick feet, thanks in part to his running back days. He’s strong, powerful, nimble.
“He’s super athletic,” Sampson said. “Has nice bend, has a nice frame, a lean body. I just watched the way he moved, his demeanor, and there was just something about him. I just knew he was going to be different. I knew he was going to be an All-American.”
247sports National Recruiting Editor Brandon Huffman said Conerly has everything a college program could want in a tackle.
“He’s an elite athlete for his size,” Huffman said. “He has the frame that you desire in a tackle. He has long arms, incredible footwork.”
And he plays with a nasty streak. He’s quiet, respectful, mellow, contemplative. He’s low-key and easy-going at school, walking around in flip flops, shorts or sweats. But on the football field? He’s coming for you.
“He’s really, really violent,” Sampson said. “I’ve coached some cats that were good football players, but he can really play. He has good hand placement, and he’s violent when he gets to you.
“He transforms into a whole different person. He transforms into a destroyer. He’s going to intimidate you, talk trash to you, be borderline nasty with it.”
Rainier Beach played Peninsula (Gig Harbor, Washington) in the postseason, beating the Seahawks 36-21. Count longtime Peninsula coach Ross Filkins among those impressed with Conerly’s play.
“At that size, he moves so well and plays with great physicality,” Filkins said. “He’s definitely somebody that you have to game-plan and know where’s at, particularly when he’s on defense. … His size and athleticism put him in a rare class.”
This story was originally published February 1, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
