Georgia offered 6-foot-6 Owen Condon on Thursday. That offer came after only recruiting the Oklahoma City resident for about a month.
He only rates as a 3-star prospect, but Georgia made it clear why he is valued by the program.
Condon measured a quarter-inch shy of the 6-foot-7 mark. He weighed in at 305 pounds. The Bishop McGuinness standout had dropped about 10 pounds. Blame varsity basketball for that.
Condon, known as “The Big O” to his family, rates as the nation’s No. 40 offensive tackle per the 247Sports Composite.
He’s looking to make his decision before his senior season.
Condon shared his thoughts on an “awesome” visit to UGA with DawgNation.
“I mean Georgia has got to be at the top right now,” Condon said. “Everything they put on for my Mom and I (on the visit) was just amazing. I loved it.”
Condon followed that statement with another comment. He didn’t back-pedal from his interest in potentially wearing his No. 75 for the Bulldogs one day.
“Everything was real eye-opening on the visit,” Condon said. “I absolutely loved everything they have to offer. I’m not ready to make a decision yet I don’t think. I’ve still got to go see some places. But Georgia is definitely up there.”
That’s a pretty good first trip to UGA.
Why UGA wants Owen Condon
Despite that ranking, he was told the Bulldogs liked him for several reasons:
- He’s needed at tackle but could slide down and also possibly play guard during his first few years on campus.
- Condon holds a 3.9 grade-point average in a private school curriculum. He’s already scored a 26 on his ACT.
- “They said my feet are a big thing,” Condon said of his size-16s. “That was just how I’m able to move and my feet for a guy my size.”
- His mother also happens to be a UGA alum.
While they were sitting in his office, the conversation shifted to Pittman coming out to see him during spring practice. Georgia coach Kirby Smart quickly took all the intrigue out of that trip.
Smart offered him. Then rattled off the reasons why.
“They said I just check all the boxes off the field as well as grades and character,” Condon said. “Not only do I have the physical part of it, but they know I’m going to be able to get it done in the classroom and on the field as well.”
Condon also visited Florida this week but didn’t draw an immediate offer. He said the Gators were his favorite team growing up. He was also on his way to check out Vanderbilt on Friday.
He’s made the rounds of late. He said he’s already been to Arkansas, Oklahoma State and TCU this year.
“I’d probably say my Georgia visit was the best one so far,” Condon said. “Just because I was there all day and got to see everything. I got to talk to the coaches for awhile. I spoke with Coach Pittman three times. Probably for about 30 minutes each time. Then I talked to coach Smart. My mom and I got to talk to coach Smart in his office for about 45 minutes. Just chatting it up and all that. I’d probably say the Georgia visit was the best so far.”
He explained why.
“Just the time they took out of their day to make sure my visit was going well,” Condon said. “Even the two recruiting assistants who were with my Mom and I were just awesome. We got to go see the dorms and to eat lunch on campus. We got to see everything I needed to see.”
Georgia wants Condon to return during the summer. He said he will definitely do that.
“To hang out with the guys and meet some of the players and all that,” he said. “That will probably happen sometime this summer. We haven’t set up a date or anything like that but they want me to come back.”
Does UGA’s Class of 2017 bother him?
The Bulldogs impressed him. No doubt about that.
“The coaching staff was awesome,” he said. “Every guy I met was a great guy and easy to talk to. Really relatable. Everyone has got facilities but Georgia has top-notch facilities. Their business school — they have the Terry College of Business — fits what I want to major in. I think it is a Top 5 public business school or something like that. It is top-notch there. But the biggest plus for me was mainly the people. I’d say the coaching staff, the assistants and the players. That’s their big thing and obviously, they are in the SEC. That’s the best conference to play in.”
Georgia also made it clear the program was all about competition. He’s being recruited to play tackle. Yet it was brought up that anything can happen.
“The best five (offensive linemen) are going to play,” Condon said. “So if I need to move down to guard as an underclassman to get on the field and I prove that I can do that then I can move down to guard. But mainly I will be at offensive tackle for the long run.”
The situation he just described can sometimes cause top-tier prospects to look elsewhere.
“I have no problem with moving down to guard if I need to,” Condon said. “Anything to get on the field. That’s my mindset really.”
He’s only looking to make one commitment. That’s why he wants to look at a few more schools. He aims to make a very educated decision. Not jump to a conclusion.
Georgia line coach Sam Pittman has quite a reputation. He heard about it from a former NFL offensive lineman that he trains with in Oklahoma.
That’s J.R. Conrad. He was the first freshman to start at center for Oklahoma and eventually played 12 games in the NFL. Conrad was on the practice squad when New England reached the Super Bowl in 1996.
“He was congratulating me on the offer,” Condon said. “… He also told me Pittman was originally from Oklahoma. So there’s a little bit of a connection there. My trainer also told me that Pittman is known as the best offensive line coach in the country. I can definitely see why.”
Other contenders for Condon
Fans will wonder about his rating. He felt that was because of a lack of exposure.
“I haven’t done any camps this spring and I don’t plan to anymore,” Condon said. “I’m just going to focus on visiting schools. That’s the only thing that matters to me. Where I end up at playing ball. Not really where I rank in Rivals or 247 or anything like that. Another thing is Oklahoma is really an under-recruited area. The guys in Texas out by me get more recognition. I don’t really know why.”
Condon wants to visit both Texas and Notre Dame. He said he really likes Arkansas, Oklahoma State and TCU. It seems very likely that he’ll make return trips back for another look at each of those three schools.
He won’t be able to enroll early in January of 2018.