Tyler Conklin

Early life

Conklin attended L'Anse Creuse High School - North in Macomb Township, Michigan, where he was a standout two-sport athlete, playing as a wide receiver in football and combo guard in basketball. As a junior, Conklin led his basketball team to the Class A Final Four, scoring 22 points in a 59–46 semifinal loss to eventual state champion Saginaw High.

College career

After graduating from high school, Conklin was awarded a full-ride basketball scholarship to Division II Northwood University. He stayed for one semester and played in seven games, averaging 2.6 rebounds, 1.9 points and 1.4 assists per game. However, after the conclusion of the fall 2013 semester, Conklin realized he was unhappy and wanted to pursue a career in football. He transferred to Central Michigan University, where he walked on to the football team in the spring of 2014. The Central Michigan coaching staff initially wanted him to play defensive end, despite Conklin's strong desire to play tight end. He began the process of transferring again, this time to play tight end with his close friend and former high school quarterback at NAIA Siena Heights University. However, when the Central Michigan coaching staff learned of this, they convinced him to stay, agreeing to let him play tight end and assuring him that he'd have the opportunity to earn a scholarship in the spring of 2015.

Coming in at only 195 pounds, Conklin redshirted for his first season with the Chippewas, playing on the scout team while adding weight. After gaining 25 pounds during the offseason, he earned a scholarship and a role as a backup tight end for the 2015 season, playing in all 13 games and catching six passes for 95 yards. He became a starter as a redshirt sophomore in 2016, playing in 13 games with 11 starts, recording 42 receptions for 560 yards and six touchdowns.

During the first one-on-one drill of CMU's training camp in August 2017, Conklin broke a bone in his left foot and was diagnosed with a Jones Fracture. After his rehab went better than anticipated, Conklin was cleared to return to the field on October 7, 2017, for CMU's game against Ohio in which he set career-highs with 10 catches for 136 yards and two scores in a 26–23 victory. After missing five games due to his foot injury, Conklin finished his redshirt junior season with 35 receptions for 504 yards and five touchdowns in 8 games played. He was named Third-team All-MAC for his efforts in the 2017 season.

Conklin finished his career at Central Michigan with 83 catches for 1,159 yards and 11 touchdowns. Soon after graduating with a major in communications, Conklin received an invitation to the 2018 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, where he caught two passes including a 16-yard over-the-shoulder touchdown pass from Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen, whom the Buffalo Bills drafted at No. 7 overall.