Conner Kinslow’s earliest memory of playing football was an awakening of sorts. It’s one that helped ignite his passion for the game.
“My dad made me stay after practice in peewee, because I was not apparently hitting hard enough,” Kinslow recalled. “He made me go through the Oklahoma drill against him until I actually tackled him, which took a good amount of time, to say the least.”
As a young kid, Kinslow could have strayed from the disciplined work. Instead, he embraced it.
“I just fell in love with the work and getting better as a player,” the Tompkins senior tight end/receiver said. “The sport is much more complex than just smacking heads, and I really enjoy that part of the game.”
Kinslow’s work has been rewarded. On Jan. 27, the 6-foot-5, 230-pounder verbally committed to New Mexico. He picked the Lobos over preferred walk-on offers from programs like Baylor and Arizona.
As bright off the field as he is on it, boasting a 4.03 GPA, Kinslow caught 13 passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns in nine games for the run-oriented Falcons last year. He averaged 19.2 yards per catch as Tompkins had its best season ever at 11-2.
“My four years at Tompkins were amazing,” Kinslow said. “I was surrounded by great coaches and other players that really helped me be, not only a better player, but a better man as well. I have been through a lot with this program and I really appreciate everything they have done for me.”
Kinslow recently talked to The Katy Times about his college choice and more.

Q: So what made New Mexico the right school for you?
A: It’s just a great opportunity. It’s a really good coaching staff that I think we can win a lot of games with and can develop me very well. I can’t wait to get to Albuquerque and get to work.

Q: What did New Mexico coaches tell you about what your role would be and what expectations are for you?
A: Well, the previous coaching staff only recruited junior college kids, so they have no underclassmen and a huge senior class. So, I will get the opportunity to play a ton very early on. They said my role is going to be similar to what I have been doing, lining up all over the field and creating mismatches.

Q: What do you plan to study at New Mexico?
A: I am not 100 percent sure yet, but I will most likely study mechanical engineering.

Q: You were part of a key revival for the Tompkins program the last couple of years. What are your thoughts about the legacy left behind as a key contributor for a senior class that helped put Tompkins on the map?
A: All we did was buy into the program our coaches had for us. Going from 0-9 to 10-3 and then 11-2 is not an easy task at all, and we, as a team, worked extremely hard towards being great. We put in a tremendous amount of time, and I feel that we established that as the bar for all the other classes after us.

Q: At what point did you realize football could be a ticket for you to college?
A: It was always a dream, and I would always go to camps and do really well. However, I wasn’t always this big, so this past spring was huge for me. A ton of colleges were coming through our school and I started picking up real attention.