Rutgers Scarlet Knights Football Signee Bio: Tight End Victor Konopka
Blair Academy (NJ), three-star tight end Victor Konopka is officially a part of the Rutgers Football program.
Statistics
• As a basketball recruit at Don Bosco, Konopka averaged 14.8 points per game and 3.2 rebounds per game.
Recruitment
• Pledged to Rutgers on December 8th, 2019.
• Was recruited by Nunzio Campanile as well as HC Greg Schiano.
• Chose Rutgers over five other offers from Elon, Houston, Lehigh, Virginia and William & Mary.
• Will enroll early at Rutgers in early January.
Did You Know?
• He also transferred to Blair Academy and reclassified from the 2019 to 2020 class this offseason in order to pursue football.
• Before transferring to Blair, Konopka was at one point an Army basketball commit when he was attending Don Bosco Prep.
They Said It
• Rivals Mid-Atlantic Analyst Adam Friedman: “Konopka has a huge frame and does a great job catching the ball with his hands but this post grad prospect got a late start to football. A former Army basketball commit, Rutgers and Virginia were quick to offer him after he made the switch. We’ll see what other teams end up jumping into the mix this season but there’s no doubting the talent that Konopka possesses."
• TKR Offensive Film Analyst Anthony Siciliano: ““Konopka has elite size and catch radius that he brings to the tight end position. He can be a versatile weapon and be used in different offensive schemes all over the field. For his 6’7” and 245-pounds. body frame, he has soft hands and is a smooth runner in the open field. Konopka showed in his first season of football that he can stretch the field vertically and also be used in 1-on-1 matchups from time to time. He is a natural pass catcher and doesn’t catch the football with his body, he will also high point the football and take it away from opposing defenders.
When watching Konopka you see the basketball traits translate onto the football field with his ability to time those 50-50 jump balls. Whether he’s lined up out wide or with his hand in the dirt he’s show he can get physical and be a blocking threat too. Overall, he’s still very raw at the position due to lack of experience, but with the right coaching on his route running and fundamentals, he could be one of those sleeper prospects that could surprise a lot of people.”
• TKR Defensive Film Analyst Alec Simpson: "When watching Konopka’s film, the first thing that jumps out is his size. He stands at what appears to be a legit 6-foot-7, 255-pounds and he brings that commanding size on the edge with lots of length for pass rushing. He does a terrific job with his physical hand usage in his pass rush and looks pretty solid shedding off blockers. Konopaka also does a great job at reading whenever it is a run play.
With his size and athletic ability I believe Victor Konopaka would be a great fit in the Big Ten down the line, if developed correctly. Definitely a lot to be excited about in the New Jersey product.”
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