Oregon offensive lineman Josh Conerly Jr. speaks during Oregon football’s media day Monday, July 29, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

Commanders' Josh Conerly sends message to local football star

Originally posted on Washington Commanders on SI
By David Harrison | Last updated Jun 9, 2025 9:00 AM ET

We all know how trades work, but Washington Commanders rookie offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. is trying to make a unique one happen that could certainly send ripples throughout the football landscape.

As the former Oregon Ducks star heads East to get his NFL career started with the Commanders, he's hoping to send his former program a replacement for him by recruiting one of the DMV's brightest young stars to the program.

The effort, posted on social media and captured by an official Oregon account, shows the Washington rookie actively recruiting Georgetown Prep offensive lineman Immanuel Iheanacho, looking to send the young lineman almost as far West as you can go without leaving the country.

“Come home brudda,” Conerly wrote, tagging Iheanacho in the post.

If Iheanacho heads to Oregon he won't necessarily be a one-for-one swap, but could certainly prove to be part of the solution to stabilizing the team's offensive line for years to come, like Conerly did during his three years playing for the school.

In an interview with On3's Chad Simmons, Iheanacho is quoted as saying he has Oregon at the top of his current list because of the relationship he has with their coaches.

He also mentioned the Commanders' rookie by name, saying, “I know (offensive line) coach (A'liquie) Terry has products like Josh Conerly and those guys there. I almost kind of look at him as a role model. The way he carries himself I appreciate. He’s cool, he’s a younger coach. It’s like business at the end of the day, so I understand that aspect of it, but he doesn’t want to make it more than it is. I feel like he brings humility to it."

If the lineman, one of the top players in his class, heads to the Ducks then there's no doubt he and Conerly will cross paths at some point down the line.

Given the importance of brotherhood and finding the right people for its own program, that relationship could even blossom into Conerly putting a good word in to help bring Iheanacho back to the local area when the time comes.

But that's getting just a bit ahead of ourselves, of course.