Conrad Hawley talks about first Power Five offer from Kansas

Conrad Hawley got a big week started off with his first Power Five offer.

On Monday, the quarterback from Ray-Pec earned an offer from the Kansas coaching staff. He picked the offer up shortly before football practice where he is preparing for the state title game.

“I'm just taking it in,” he said about the offer. “I'm thankful for the opportunity, because this is something that I've worked really hard for. A lot of people have invested their time into me and their resources.

“It's starting to come to fruition, but I know that I have to still keep working and keeping my goals and winning the state championship with my team and then playing well in college, wherever I go.”

The Kansas offer didn’t come out of thin air. The staff has been watching Hawley for some time and kept a close eye on him during his senior season.

“Ever since my junior year, they've been reaching out to me and told me that they liked my film,” he said. “I was supposed to go on a visit up there and they were supposed to come watch me throw as well in the spring. But it didn't happen because of COVID. So, they told me they would let my senior year play out.”

They stayed true to their word and after evaluating senior film extended the offer.

“We've been playing well, and I've put some good tape out there,” Hawley said. “They decided to pull the trigger and they offered me. It was an awesome feeling.”

On Monday, Hawley spoke to Kansas offensive coordinator Brent Dearmon and Travis Partridge, who is the offensive quality control coach.

Hawley is expected to be in the running for the Simone Award, that goes to the best player in Kansas City.

There were a lot of characteristics the Kansas coaches liked about his film and how he played his senior season.

“They said that every week they watched my film I continued to grade out higher and higher each week,” Hawley said.

This gives Hawley a lot to think about after the state championship game is played. He has received offers from division one and smaller schools, and more Power Five interest continues to come in.

“I’ve got four FCS offers and a group of five offer,” he said. “They are all talking to me still. I'm starting to hear a lot from Mizzou and Iowa who've been keeping up with me for a while now. I have a plan of what I want to do, and when I want to sign. I'm just going to play it by ear and see who else comes and talks to me, and continue to grind and stay focused with my team.”