Only three Division I schools felt strongly enough about No. 30 on the McDowell High School football team to offer him a scholarship. Only one of those three schools—the one closest to his Erie, Pennsylvania, home—wanted him to play running back.
One. That’s it.
More than 100 others quickly glazed right over James Conner for reasons that are no longer relevant. And if we’re laying all the cards across the table, this coaching staff that offered him a spot on offense likely did so because more coveted backs simply said no first.
So during high school playoffs, Pittsburgh phoned the nation’s No.