MACOMB TWP. – No one knows how major and even minor decisions will play out later in life.
Few people understand that more than Tyler Conklin.
The talented Conklin, who hails from Macomb Township some 20-plus miles from the heart of Detroit, has returned home to continue his NFL career. But his journey has taken more twists and turns than a Rocky Mountain road.
“You just never know when you make a decision in life where it might take you,” said Conklin between sessions at the Tyler Conklin Foundation Youth Football Camp and Community Day on June 27 at his alma matter. It was part of a make-shift press conference near the 50-yard line at Macomb L’Anse Creuse North High School, where Conklin graduated in 2013 and became one of the school’s most well-known athletes and alumni.
Conklin grew up as a two-sport standout at L’Anse Creuse North, suiting up for four years for the Crusaders’ boys basketball and football teams.
Basketball was his first love, however – he helped L’Anse Creuse North win both Class A district and regional titles and was a key part of a string of upsets that led the unranked Crusaders to the Final Four as a junior in 2012 – and that his driving force to one day play college athletics was in his future.
L’Anse Creuse North lost to state powerhouse Saginaw 59-46 that season. The following year as a senior in 2013, Conklin – one of the top 50 basketball recruits in Michigan – led the Crusaders to the Class A regional finals before bowing out to Detroit Southeastern, 54-49.
Most of Conklin’s offers came from college basketball programs – at the time his ultimate goal – and he ended up signing with NCAA Division II Northwood University. But despite being a two-time Class A All-State basketball player multiple publications and sources and an All-State football player as a senior, Conklin’s high pedigree, versatility and overall athleticism didn’t necessarily translate into immediate playing time at Northwood.
Despite being a full-ride athlete at the D-II level, Conklin only stayed at Northwood for one semester, playing in seven games while averaging a measly 1.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game on limited playing time.
“I had some pretty tough decisions to make at that time,” said Conklin. “And sometimes you don’t always know if the decisions you’re making are the right ones.”
Conklin decided to take a leap of faith.
SWITCHING COURSE
Opting to leave Northwood in early 2014, Conklin was lured over to Central Michigan to play football at the NCAA Division I level.
Although he loved football, it was hard to leave the hardcourt behind.
“At one time I had dreams of maybe being a (professional) basketball player,” he laughed.
Nevertheless, the then-6-foot-4, 210-pound Conklin was slated to become an undersized defensive end, although he played wide receiver, tight end and defensive end at L’Anse Creuse North just a few years prior. Competing at that that position at the D-I college level was a bit different.
Detroit Lions tight end Tyler Conklin (83) walks off the field after an NFL football practice Friday, May 29, 2026, in Allen Park, Mich. (PAUL SANCYA — AP Photo)
Conklin did entertain the idea of transferring down to NAIA Siena Heights University to become a tight end before CMU talked him into staying.
“Then I got hurt and that was really tough,” said Conklin. “I didn’t know if I wanted to stick with it. I had talked to some D-I basketball teams and some other schools to play football, but I finally stayed at CMU and continued to progress and finally made the switch from defensive end to tight end.”
Finally earning a scholarship as a tight end by 2015 – and even though there were some bumps to the road of Conklin’s collegiate athletics career – he slowly climbed the charts for the Chippewas.
Now at 6-foot-4 and bulked up to 240 pounds by 2015, Conklin really began to gain his footing.
Between 2015-2017, Conklin compiled a three-year total of 83 receptions for 1,159 yards and 11 touchdowns for CMU, although a minor injury limited him to just eight games as a senior in the fall of 2017.
The team captain missed five games but still totaled 35 catches for 504 yards and five touchdowns for the Chippewas as a senior. He was still voted to the Mid-American Conference Third Team and still earned an invite to play in the 2018 Senior Bowl as one of the better tight ends in the country and began popping up on NFL draft boards.
Not bad for a college basketball-turned-football star over the course of less than five years.
NFL-BOUND
Once a D-II basketball player as recent as early 2014, Conklin reached the professional level in a sport which wasn’t his original dream sport coming out of high school.
He was selected in the fifth round and as the 157th overall pick of the 2018 NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings.
Conklin spent three years in Minnesota (2018-2021) before heading to the New York Jets for three more seasons (2022-2024).
The mobile Conklin had earned his way into a NFL career instead of a quick cup of coffee in the League.
His unpredictable journey led him to the Los Angeles Chargers for one season in 2025.
“I liked my time in Los Angeles, but I decided to leave,” noted Conklin.
Tyler Conklin’s life was about to come full-circle.
COMING HOME
Conklin left the Chargers organization and ended up signing in March of this year with the Detroit Lions, who have had a revolving door of tight ends over the past 10-15 seasons and needed some depth at that position to play alongside rising star Sam Laporta.
In a roundabout way, Tyler Conklin was coming home.
Even with some of his family members still residing in Michigan in both the Detroit and Jackson areas, Conklin has the chance to come back home and be part of the community of where he grew up – a community that rooted for him inside field houses and during Friday night lights.
L’Anse Creuse North is only 21 miles northeast of downtown Detroit and most of the high schools around the area where Conklin competed on football fields and basketball courts were inside the Metropolitan Detroit area.
He helped run the annual Tyler Conklin Foundation Youth Football Camp and Community Day last month at LCN, where over 200 youth football players came out in the heat and went through drills and stations and competed in games and contests.
New York Jets tight end Tyler Conklin (83) carries the ball in the second half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
“I remember going to (sports) camps as a kid and this is a great way for us to give back,” he smiled.
Of course, Conklin was drenched from the dunk tank at the youth football camp as he walked over to the mid-field press conference.
He didn’t mind one bit.
A total of 20 former college players – mostly from Central Michigan – along with some current and former NFL players – including Warren De La Salle grad Mike Danna who is on the active roster for the Buffalo Bills – helped run the camp and man each drill session along with current coaches from L’Anse Creuse North. There were also a couple dozen current L’Anse Creuse North upperclassmen that helped run the drill stations and assist the coaches at the camp.
But it was all worth it.
Tyler Conklin believed in himself, took chances, made some tough decisions, ventured through some trials – but is now living the dream as a seasoned pro athlete, even if it’s on a different playing surface than he originally dreamed.
“We gave the kids little bit of what it’s like to play football when their older. But when you see the smiles on the faces – it’s all worth it,” smiled Conklin.
And so has the entire journey for Tyler Conklin.