Hard-to-Define Conwell Has Eagles on the Move
November 1, 2005

In 10 seconds or less, tell us how you would alphabetize, categorize and block Devin Conwell.

This isn’t a variation of the Rorschach test, although it’s easy to see why it comes across that way. After all, who plays better mind games than the Ashland senior?

Conwell can play either safety spot and inside or outside linebacker and he’s filled all of those spots in 2005. His versatility causes the eyes to see one thing and the mind to funnel the information in another manner. Think what it does to football coaches who have to try and figure out how to handle him.

“Teams game plan around him,” said AU secondary coach Steve Clinkscale, who’s responsible for Conwell coming to Ashland. “They had better know where No. 11 is.”

That’s not easy these days. Last spring the coaching staff took a player who had posted 118 tackles in 2004, 121 in 2003, a player who led the nation in solo tackles (80) in 2004 and moved him from linebacker to strong safety. Crazy, you say? How about crazy like a fox?

Since that move, AU has gone 8-2 and is in contention for an NCAA Division II playoff berth. Conwell’s presence in the defensive backfield has solidified that unit so much that teams go for the home run ball about as much as the infamous Mario Mendoza. Conwell’s willingness to change positions opened the way for players like Jeremy Crabtree and Luke Busson to move into the lineup at linebacker. As of last week, Ashland was second in the nation in scoring defense (10.0 ppg.).

“Teams aren’t throwing the deep ball down the middle and they aren’t running the ball to the middle of the field,” summarized Clinkscale.

“At first I was a little worried that I’d be able to make the transition,” admitted Conwell. “I was afraid I wouldn’t be successful. But the big picture is we’re winning and the defense is better.”

Conwell’s numbers aren’t better, he has 73 tackles (31 solo), 4.0 tackles for loss, a sack and three interceptions. But those figures don’t begin to tell Conwell’s story. First of all, how many players would be so willing to make a move like this, especially one who has designs on playing professional football? Yet Conwell early on realized a couple of things. The new alignment would give him the opportunity to line up several places. Offenses would struggle to find him. The fact that he could play several positions would increase his value and catch the attention of professional football scouts.

The 6-2, 216-pound thunderbolt estimates that he plays safety 75 percent of the time, inside linebacker 15 percent of the time and outside linebacker the remaining 10 percent of his snaps. He’s been effective in every slot, at least in the eyes of those who grade his work.

“I’m realizing that I’m not a linebacker,” said Conwell. “I play pass first, run second. I’ve had to realize that my production would go down. Sometimes I’ll think that I didn’t play well and the coaching staff tells me I played well. There’s more to playing safety than making tackles. It can be hard playing in space. Coming up to the line of scrimmage it’s easier to miss tackles. There’s more room between you and the ball carrier.”

It was his ability to bring down ball carriers that caught the attention of Clinkscale when he recruited Conwell. That was Clinkscale’s first season recruiting junior college athletes. Clinkscale’s brother played defensive back at Wake Forest and one of his teammates there, Delawn Parrish, told him about an off-the-charts player at Montgomery Community College in Baltimore, MD. Montgomery was discontinuing its football program and this do-it-all defensive whiz was flying around the gridiron and below the radar. The word got passed along to Clinkscale.

Ashland hasn’t had a history of attracting a lot of players from Maryland, but it was certainly worth Clinkscale’s time to look at Conwell.

“I thought he was a multi-talented player,” recalled Clinkscale. “He played defensive end, outside linebacker and inside linebacker. I just knew he was a good fit somewhere in the front seven. He showed a lot of versatility, he was a great tackler. That stood out on film, ball carriers never got away from him.”

Clinkscale never imagined that he would be Conwell’s position coach. This intra-team reunion has added to the coach’s enjoyment of this season.

“He’s been spectacular,” said Clinkscale, when asked to evaluate Conwell the safety. “In my short career Devin’s been the easiest player to teach. He picks up on things right away. He makes the fewest mistakes of any player I’ve coached. He’s coachable and he’s got great instincts for the ball. Put it all together and he plays like an All-America every week.”

To play like that has been Conwell’s goal not just every Saturday, but all seven days of the week. The move from the East Coast to the Midwest has been just as smooth as his transition from linebacker to safety.

“It’s been a real good experience,” said Conwell of landing at AU. “It’s been a different environment. Even if you don’t play ball, it’s good to go and experience a different environment. This was the best thing for me. It’s kept my focus, it’s hard to get distracted here. I never lose sight of the goal. I came here to take advantage of the opportunity to play football. People say, ‘Why don’t you go out and stuff.’ I didn’t come here for that. A lot of guys go Division I and don’t get to show what they can do. I got to showcase my ability. I can’t put into words how much I love to play football.”

That love affair could continue next year – on the professional level. Pro scouts now have him on their charts. Conwell runs a 4.6, 40 and hits everything that moves. He could leave those in the professional game as speechless as those on the collegiate level.

“He has to get his foot in the door as a special teams player,” predicted Clinkscale. “He has acceleration and speed to the ball. The question again is where does he fit – linebacker or safety?”

How’s this for an answer – “Anywhere, anytime, any place.”