Rigg's focus shifts to preparation
Springboro (Ohio) senior Justin Rigg is in unfamiliar territory. High school football and basketball are behind him. High school's still a reality, but he's now preparing for college.
Specifically he's preparing for college football student-athlete life at Kentucky.
No more recruiting. No more games before Lexington.
The 6-foot-6, 240-pound tight end, who was a three-star prospect as a recruit according to Rivals.com, is now in the unfamiliar territory of transitioning to college football while still in high school.
Class of 2017 and 2018 football recruits are now in the media spotlight. But that's just fine with Rigg, who seems content to go about his daily routine out of the limelight. That routine now includes a heavy dose of running and lifting designed by Kentucky's strength staff.
"The first couple of weeks have just been kind of easing into it and getting back into the routines," Rigg said. "The way they want us to do the stretches has been kind of new, I guess, but we've done the main lifts. They just teach you how to do it exactly, or how they want you to do it."
Rigg said he's somewhere between 240 and 245 in the weight range. He gains and loses weight, in that range, with regularity, and in rhythm as he continues with the workouts.
"I'm not sure if they want me there by the season or by the time I get up there," Rigg mused. "But I think I remember Coach (Vince) Marrow saying something about him wanting to get me up to about 250. I don't know when exactly they want me there, though."
Rigg doesn't think adding weight should be a problem, and he trusts the strength staff to help him do it in a way that allows him to keep his speed.
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Rigg has always had a good relationship with Marrow, and the two still talk often.
He's gotten to know some of the new coaches, in various ways, but new offensive coordinator Eddie Gran hasn't gone in-depth on the offense with him yet. So Rigg isn't 100-percent sure about how exactly the tight ends will fit into Gran's system compared to Shannon Dawson's.
"When I've talked to Coach Marrow about the tight ends he's said he wants to use the tight ends more, maybe with two in at a time or in a double set," Rigg explained. "My goal is just to be one of the best tight ends there when I first get there. It'll definitely be hard (to start) since C.J. (Conrad) had such a great season. Starting over him would be tough. But I'm going to try my hardest to get to the highest point I can reach."
Rigg said he and Conrad have spent a lot of time with one another when he has visited campus in the past. In fact, Conrad and fellow tight end Greg Hart may be the two players currently on the team that Rigg knows the best.
"They're really cool guys," Rigg added, saying he's excited about being a part of that position group when he gets to UK.
Rigg played basketball for Springboro and his hoops career has now finished. He averaged close to a double double -- between nine and 10 points per game, to go along with around 10 boards per contest -- and Rigg helped lead Springboro to a 19-5 record on the year. They lost in the district semifinals in the postseason.
At one point Rigg wanted to pursue a basketball career beyond high school. But he knows where his future is now.
"When I was in junior high and maybe into my freshman and sophomore year -- probably up 'til my sophomore year -- I was still kind of deciding which (sport) I wanted to do," Rigg said. "But then I realized I was going to be a football player."
Rigg told Cats Illustrated he will attend Kentucky's spring game on April 16.