How Lamar Conard Identified Tyrone Tracy Jr. as a Future Running Back

In 2017, Lamar Conard began the journey of convincing Tyrone Tracy Jr. that he was destined to be a running back. This pivotal moment occurred while Conard was serving as an assistant coach at Illinois State University.

At that time, Tracy was a promising high school athlete weighing his options for college football. Conard was the only coach who saw his potential as a running back, a role that would ultimately define his career trajectory.

“I was the only one who recruited him as a running back,” Conard shared in an interview with Big Blue View.

During his high school career, Tracy accumulated an impressive total of 3,525 rushing yards, boasting an average of 8.7 yards per carry. Additionally, he caught 134 passes, showcasing his versatility with an impressive average of 19.7 yards per catch.

Ultimately, Tracy opted for a position as a wide receiver at Iowa, where he experienced four challenging seasons. In 2019, he recorded 36 receptions for 589 yards (16.4 yards per catch) and three touchdowns, but his playing time significantly dwindled in the following two seasons, with just 29 catches combined in 2020 and 2021.

Tracy decided to enter the transfer portal and landed at Purdue in 2022.

Due to the pandemic, Tracy was granted an extra year of NCAA eligibility in 2023. Coincidentally, Conard secured the role of running backs coach for the Boilermakers that same year.

Conard successfully advocated for Tracy’s transition to running back, convincing head coach Ryan Walters that this change would unlock Tracy’s true potential.

“Ryan hired me. He was like, man, Tyrone is just an unbelievably talented kid. Why isn’t he more productive? What’s the best position for him?” Conard recounted. “He didn’t know I had the relationship I had with him. I pretty much broke it down to him really quickly. I recruited him in high school. I’ve coached both his brothers. I know him. He’s a running back. You have to give him to me.”

Walters agreed to Conard’s proposition.

However, Conard still faced the challenge of persuading Tracy that fully committing to the running back position was the key to unlocking his playing time, success, and eventually, a shot at the NFL. This was a significant shift for Tracy, who had resisted this change since his high school days.

Conard had prior experience coaching Tracy’s brothers, Kenny (a running back) and Javon (a defensive back), during his tenure at Miami of Ohio.

“Thankfully, I had a relationship with them. They trusted me, and the family trusted me,” Conard explained. “Hey, coach Conard will take care of you. He can get you where you want to be.”

Conard acknowledged that the transition wasn’t easy for Tracy and remarked that it “tore him up” mentally.

“He’s a very religious kid. It tore him up, but ultimately his faith and family aligned,” Conard noted. “Yes, I take pride in the reality that I struck it from an examination perspective. I’m more proud of him.”

“A lot of guys at that age don’t want to change. Professional athletes, college athletes. To his credit, he opened up his heart and mind, and it all worked out.”

Would Tracy have had the opportunity to play in the NFL without transitioning to running back?

“Probably not,” Conard admitted. “He definitely doesn’t get drafted.”

Conard emphasized that Tracy is an “elite athlete,” a statement backed by his impressive Relative Athletic Score (RAS).

Conard remarked that he always viewed Tracy’s key strengths as being “tough to tackle” and an “unbelievably gritty football player.”

A significant advantage of transitioning to running back was that the Boilermakers could maximize Tracy’s skill set by consistently getting the ball in his hands.

Conard explained that recognizing the need for a “change of scenery” was crucial for Tracy’s move from Iowa to Purdue. The final hurdle was his commitment to the position change.

“You have to trust coaches to put you in the right position to be successful. It worked out for him, but as just a receiver, I think ultimately he knew that and that’s why he transferred from Iowa,” Conard stated. “I need to change the scenery here. Is it me or is it them? Or is it both of us?”

Ultimately, with just one remaining season of college football eligibility to showcase his talent to NFL teams, Tracy realized that this position change was his best opportunity to make an impression.

“I can sit here and give you 50 snaps a game as a receiver and touch the ball five times, or I can play a tailback,” Conard elaborated. “They can turn and hand the ball 10 to 15 times a game and I might catch three or five passes. Well, you know, if you don’t have the football in your hand, it’s hard to show what you can do.”

In his new role, Tracy carried the ball 113 times for 716 yards (averaging 6.3 yards per carry) and scored 8 touchdowns while also catching 19 passes. This performance earned him invitations to both the East-West Shrine Game and the NFL Scouting Combine.

At the Combine, Giants’ running backs coach Joel Thomas was among the coaches observing backs in Indianapolis and he was impressed by Tracy’s performance.

“Afterwards, Joel sent me a text and said, ‘Hey, your guy’s got some juice, man. He’s a good player,’ ” Conard recounted.

During an interview at the Combine, Tracy expressed his gratitude for Conard’s pivotal role in his career development.

“Coach C, man. I give this man props on everything,” Tracy stated. “A lot of the aspects from running back are from him … He taught me a lot of things that I didn’t even know that I was capable of … Without him harping [on] me and being so relentless, I wouldn’t be here.”