Star Arizona State tight end Jalin Conyers discusses Pac-12 Football Media Day with Burn City Sports college insider Brendan Mau. He also talks about how he feels not making an all-conference team, ASU being picked to finish 10th in the Pac-12 and more.
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Brendan: My name is Brendan Mau. I’m here with Jalin Conyers at Pac-12 Media Day in Las Vegas with Burn City Sports. Jalin, how are you feeling in your first Pac-12 Media Day?
Jalin: It’s fun. It’s been able to be cool to be around a bunch of the guys obviously, we’re gonna be going against this year (and) compete (Against). Kind of let loose a little bit, just talking about media, talk about how good our season’s gonna be. Stuff like that. So it’s been really fun.
Brendan: So I know you’ve been doing some media work yourself. So does this feel like kind of natural like something you want to do? Or like just being here? Is it like, I don’t know, how does it feel for you?
Jalin: It’s somewhat easy. Yeah, I’ve been I mean, I’ve been in front of media a lot my past couple years. So, getting to do this is pretty normal now, but it’s definitely a different animal being at Pac-12 Media Day. Definitely a lot more cameras, a lot more exposure, stuff like that. But I’ve actually enjoyed it. It’s been super fun. It’s been cool. But yeah, it’s been pretty easy for me for the most part.
Brendan: I know, you were named an honorable mention in the Pac-12. You didn’t make first or second team? Does that mean something to you that you didn’t make it? Or is it some motivation?Â
Jalin: No, not really. I mean, preseason’s preseason. Obviously, the guys on the list are the guys on the list. I mean, at the end of the day, in the season (is) what matters. So whether I’m the best tight end on the board or the worst tight end of the board, my job is just to go out there and either prove people wrong or show people that they have the right idea. So (it’s) not really anything, if anything motivation, like you said, so just kind of going with that moving forward.
Brendan: Yeah. And then along the same lines, you guys were picked, to finish 10th in the (Pac-12) preseason poll. I just talked to Jordan (Clark) about it. But is it like, it’s hard to kind of put expectations on you guys, because you’re so new? Is that how it kind of how you feel?
Jalin: No, not really. I mean, again, you can put us 12th, you can put us first. I mean, at the end of day, we’re gonna go out there and do what we need to do in order to be successful as a team. I don’t think this is one of those years where it’s a rebuilding year and this and that where coach (Kenny) Dillingham needs a couple years, he’s ready to win now. We’re ready to win now in general. So I think a lot of is just going into season one, knowing what the team has, what the team culture is, and knowing what we are very capable of, so that’s really my biggest thought on that. But, it don’t really matter. Rankings don’t matter at the beginning of season, they only matter at the end.
Brendan: So going into a new offensive system. How are you liking it so far? And how does it compare to last year?
Jalin: I like it, it’s super fun. Coach Dillingham is a very innovative guy. Coach Baldwin is also a very innovative guy, so it’s going to be something that’s gonna be cool, it’s gonna be a unique type of offense. I’ve had a lot of fun being part of it so far, going into fall camp is definitely going to open up more opportunities for that to be able to show more and get ready to see how we’re going to be able to exploit defenses. And just other than that, just being ready to go and just having a good relationship with those guys. We’re gonna have a good relationship and team chemistry means everything, so.
Brendan: Going into fall camp, is there anything that you or the team you feel like needs to work on or improve on?
Jalin: I think the biggest thing for us is just developing the culture and setting it because you know, even even like you said, coach Dilly is a new coach. But like, at the end of the day, some of us are going to be gone after this year, so I think it’s establishing a culture that’s going to carry on to the next couple of years of the program. And that influx starts to fall camp, getting the players that want to play, the guys are going to be successful and ready to go. So I think, going in fall camp, our biggest message is just get ready to come out and play and get ready to win a bunch of ball games. So, that’s the one thing we’re focused on right now.
Brendan: Alright. Thank you for your time, Jalin.
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Brendan Mau is a college sports insider and general assignment reporter for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on Twitter via @Brendan_Mau
