Bio
2012: Returning starting wide receiver ... pre-season All-America selection by Phil Steele’s College Football Preview (4th team) ... pre-season All-ACC choice by Athlon Sports (1st team), Blue Ribbon Yearbook (1st team), Lindy’s Sports (2nd team) and Phil Steele’s College Football Preview (1st team) ... received the ACC’s “best hands” accolade from Lindy’s ... charted as the No. 19 wide receiver in the country by Lindy’s ... candidate for post-season honors ... professional prospect ... determined and courageous competitor ... cited by head coach David Cutcliffe as the “most fearless wide receiver” he has ever coached ... two-time second team All-ACC pick (2010-11) ... in 35 career games (32 starts), has 198 receptions for 2,675 yards and 13 TDs ... has played 2,073 career snaps ... has amassed 3,191 career all-purpose yards ... is the only player in ACC history to register multiple seasons with 70+ pass receptions ... has ranked among the ACC’s top five in receptions per game in each of the last three years (4th in 2009, 1st in 2010 & 5th in 2011) ... enters 2012 with the longest active streak in the nation for consecutive games with at least one pass reception (35) and sits just two contests short of the school record held by Donovan Varner (37; 2008-11) and 10 weeks shy of the ACC standard set by North Carolina’s Corey Holliday (45; 1990-93) ... has three career games with 10+ pass receptions including a career-best 12-catch outing versus Boston College in 2010 ... has caught 2+ passes in 34 career weeks — four games shy of the school record held by Varner (38) ... owns nine career 100-yard receiving games including a career-best 181-yard performance at Wake Forest in 2010 ... NCAA’s active leader in both career receptions and receiving yardage ... only active player nationally with three seasons with 50+ receptions ... only active player in the country with three seasons of 700+ receiving yards ... one of just three active players in the nation with multiple seasons with 70+ pass receptions (Ryan Swope, Texas A&M & Darius Johnson, SMU) ... among active ACC players, ranks first in receptions, first in receiving yards, first in 100-yard receiving games, first in receiving TDs and first in all-purpose yardage ... needs 35 catches and 843 yards to establish new ACC career records by surpassing Clemson’s Aaron Kelly (232 receptions) and Florida State’s Peter Warrick (3,517 yards) ... is nine receptions and 643 receiving yards short of setting new Duke career records by surpassing Varner (207 receptions) and Clarkston Hines (3,318 yards) ... sits 66 receptions short of cracking the NCAA’s all-time top 30 (No. 30 — Chad Mackey, Louisiana Tech [264]) ... aiming to become the first player in ACC history to post four seasons with 50+ receptions and 700+ receiving yards ... bidding to become just the fourth player in Duke history to lead the Blue Devils in receptions in three consecutive seasons, joining Howard Pitt (1951-52-53), Stan Crisson (1961-62-63) and Scottie Montgomery (1997-98-99) ... also aiming to become just the fourth player in school history to pace the squad in receiving yardage in three straight campaigns, joining Crisson (1961-62-63), Hines (1987-88-89) and Eron Riley (2006-07-08) ... aiming to become just the third player in school history to have 3+ receiving TDs in four seasons, joining Walter Jones (1988-89-90-91) and Corey Thomas (1994-95-96-97) ... begins 2012 with active streak of 15 straight games with 2+ pass receptions to sit 13 games short of the school record (28) held by Hines ... holds school career record for games with 5+ receptions (23) ... owns school record for most consecutive games with 5+ catches (10; last three games of 2010 & first seven weeks of 2011) ... with Varner, holds school record for most games with two 100-yard receivers by a tandem (4) ... shares school single-game record for most TD receptions of 50+ yards (2 vs. Wake Forest, 2010) with Dave Dunaway (Rice, 1965), Hines (Wake Forest, 1989), Brad Breedlove (Clemson, 1991) and Riley (Navy, 2007) ... with Varner, holds ACC record for most combined receptions by two teammates in common seasons (384) ... on the ACC’s all-time charts, stands seventh in pass receptions, tied for 14th in 100-yard receiving games and 16th in receiving yardage ... on Duke’s all-time lists, ranks second in pass receptions, second in receiving yards, tied for second in games with 10+ pass receptions, tied for second in 100-yard receiving games, tied for second in TD receptions of 50+ yards (4), tied for third in games with 2+ receptions, tied for eighth in TD receptions, ninth in all-purpose yardage, tied for ninth in games with 1+ reception (35) and 20th in average yards per catch (13.51) ... with QB Sean Renfree, ranks tied for sixth on Duke’s all-time chart for career TD passes by a combination (10) ... part of school record-holding groups for most combined receiving yards by two teammates (1,793 with Varner, 2009), most combined pass receptions by three teammates (180 with Austin Kelly & Varner, 2010) and most combined pass receptions by a WR-TE duo (113 with Cooper Helfet, 2011) ... has increased TD reception total each season (3-4-6) ... has averaged at least 13.33 yards per catch in all three years as a Blue Devil, and could become the first player in school history to accomplish the feat in four seasons (minimum 20 receptions).2011: Second team All-ACC selection ... started all 12 games ... caught 70 passes for 956 yards and six TDs ... also rushed three times for zero net yards and returned three punts for 38 yards and a 12.7 yards per return average ... in the ACC, ranked fourth in receiving yards per game (79.7) and fifth in receptions per game (5.83) ... nationally, ranked tied for 41st in receptions per game and 43rd in receiving yards per week ... became the first player in ACC history to post multiple seasons with 70+ catches ... established school record for consecutive games (10) with 5+ receptions (last three games of 2010 & first seven weeks of 2011) ... streak was snapped by a four-reception, 88-yard day versus Wake Forest ... matched school single-season records for most games with 5+ catches (9) and games with 2+ receptions (12) ... on Duke’s single-season lists, totals rank fourth in receptions and seventh in receiving yards ... twice topped the 100-yard receiving mark versus Boston College (116) and FIU (117) ... had 75+ receiving yards in eight total weeks ... logged a two-TD afternoon at Boston College with scoring receptions covering 53 and 21 yards ... scored single TDs against Tulane, FIU, Miami and Georgia Tech ... had a season-high nine catches for 92 yards and one TD versus Georgia Tech ... had eight-catch outings against Richmond and FIU ... season-long reception of 53 yards (TD) came in the win at Boston College ... paired with Cooper Helfet to form the most prolific WR-TE receiving duo (113 combined receptions) in Duke history ... teamed with Donovan Varner (61) and Helfet (43) to form the fourth-most prolific pass-catching trio in school history with 174 combined receptions ... coupled with Varner to form the third-most prolific pass-catching tandem in school history with 131 combined receptions ... paired with Varner (713) to become just the sixth duo in school history to each have 700+ receiving yards in a single campaign ... joined with Varner to become the first Duke duo to have 60+ receptions apiece in multiple seasons (2010 & 2011) ... coupled with Varner to match the eighth-highest single-season combined receiving yardage total by a Duke tandem (1,669) ... teamed with Helfet (43) and Desmond Scott (25) to form the seventh-most prolific WR-TE-RB receiving trio (138 receptions) in Duke history ... paired with Scott to form the eighth-most prolific WR-RB duo (95 receptions) in school history ... main cog in a Duke aerial attack that ranked second in the ACC in passing yards per game and had four players catch 40+ passes for just the second time in school history (1982) ... caught six TD passes from QB Sean Renfree to match the 10th-highest single-season total for a combination in school history ... on the field for 714 plays.
2010: Second team All-ACC selection ... earned Duke’s Most Outstanding Receiver award ... started all 12 games ... caught 73 passes for 946 yards and four TDs ... rushed five times for 40 yards ... returned six kickoffs for 143 yards and a 23.8 yards per return average ... in the ACC, ranked first in receptions per game (6.08), third in receiving yards per game (81.1) and fifth in all-purpose yards per game (96.3) ... nationally, ranked 24th in receptions per game and 29th in receiving yards per game ... established new ACC record for most combined receptions (384 with Donovan Varner) by two teammates in common seasons, breaking the previous standard of 364 held by the Clemson duo of Aaron Kelly and Tyler Grisham ... reception total fell one shy of matching the Duke single-season standard of 74 set by Wes Chesson in 1970 ... receiving yardage total ranks sixth in the school’s single-season chart ... caught at least one pass in all 12 weeks ... reached double figures in the reception column twice with 12 catches versus Boston College and 10 grabs against Elon ... reception total against the Eagles marked the second-highest by an ACC receiver in 2010 ... was the only player in the ACC to register multiple games with double figure reception totals ... carded four 100-yard games including a season-best 181-yard outing at Wake Forest on eight receptions ... performance in Winston-Salem marked the 10th-highest single-game receiving yardage total in school history ... also had two TD catches against the Demon Deacons covering 70 and 51 yards to become just the fifth player in school history with two scoring receptions of 50+ yards in a single game ... also reached 100 yards against Elon (129), Army (129) and Boston College (134) ... the four 100-yard receiving games matched the sixth-highest single-season total in Duke history ... caught 5+ passes in nine contests ... had three TD catches of 50+ yards on the year, marking the second-highest single-season total in school history ... teamed with Varner (60) and Austin Kelly (47) to form the most prolific pass-catching trio in school history with 180 combined receptions ... coupled with Varner to form the second-most prolific pass-catching tandem in school history with 133 combined receptions ... paired with Varner (736) to become just the fifth duo in school history to each have 700 or more receiving yards in a single campaign ... teamed with Cooper Helfet (34) and Desmond Scott (34) to form the fourth-most prolific WR-TE-RB receiving trio (141 receptions) in Duke history ... paired with Helfet to form the third-most prolific WR-TE receiving duo (107 receptions) in Duke history ... key component of a passing attack that ranked second in the ACC and had five players with 30+ receptions for just the second time in school history ... threw an incomplete pass at Georgia Tech ... on the field for 749 total plays.
2009: First team Freshman All-America and Freshman All-ACC selection by Sporting News ... played in 11 games with eight starts ... missed the Kansas game due to foot injury ... started the final eight games of the season ... caught 55 passes for 746 yards and three TDs ... also returned 12 kickoffs for 295 yards (24.6) ... in the ACC, ranked tied for fourth in receptions per game (5.00), sixth in receiving yards per game (67.8) and eighth in all-purpose yards per game (94.6) ... among rookie wide receivers nationally, ranked second in receiving yards per game and third in receptions per game ... established Duke freshman single-season records for catches, receiving yards and 100-yard games (3) while totals in the same charts ranked fourth for all-purpose yards (1,041), tied for fourth for TD receptions and sixth for average yards per catch (13.56) ... reception total ranks third on the ACC’s single-season chart for rookies behind Virginia’s Wali Lundy (58 in 2002) and Maryland’s Frank Wychek (58 in 1990) while yardage total also stands third among conference freshmen behind N.C. State’s Koren Robinson (853 in 1999) and Georgia Tech’s Calvin Johnson (837 in 2004) ... with Donovan Varner (1,047) and Austin Kelly (602), became the first trio in school history to each have over 600 receiving yards in a single season ... paired with Varner to become the top duo in school history for combined receiving yards (1,793) ... in first career start versus Virginia Tech, caught four passes for 128 yards to match the eighth-highest single-game total for yards per reception average (32.00) in school history ... totaled 192 all-purpose yards against the Hokies to equal the fifth-highest single-game total by a Duke rookie ... caught a season-high 10 passes for 86 yards and one TD against N.C. State with the reception total matching the second-highest single-game total by a freshman in Blue Devil history ... had 173 all-purpose yards at N.C. State for the 10th-best single-game total by a freshman in school history ... other 100-yard efforts came in wins over Maryland (5-102) and Virginia (7-103) ... against the Cavaliers, five of the seven grabs produced first downs including the game-winning 42-yard scoring strike from Thaddeus Lewis at the 3:45 mark of the fourth quarter ... became the first Duke freshman to score a game-winning, fourth quarter TD since George Clark provided the go-ahead score against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl on January 1, 1945 ... on the field for 610 total snaps.
Prior to Duke: Three-year letterman at Gulliver Prep under Earl Simms ... as a senior, caught 60 passes for 1,163 yards and 11 TDs to earn first team all-state honors ... led the Miami area in receiving yards in 2008 while helping Gulliver to a 12-2 record and berth in the Florida 2A state title game ... had 131 career catches for 2,668 yards and 22 TDs ... also lettered in track and field.
Personal: Son of Thiana and Robert Vernon ... cousin, Al Del Greco (1980-83) and uncle, Jorge Portela (1977-79), both played football at Auburn ... born August 18, 1990 ... majoring in English.
| Conner Vernon's Career Recieving Stats | ||||||
| Year | G/GS | Rec | Yards | Avg. | TD | Lg |
| 2009 | 11/8 | 55 | 746 | 13.56 | 3 | 74 |
| 2010 | 12/12 | 73 | 973 | 13.33 | 4 | 70 |
| 2011 | 12/12 | 70 | 956 | 13.66 | 6 | 53 |
| Total | 35/32 | 198 | 2,675 | 13.51 | 13 | 74 |
| Conner Vernon's Career Rushing Stats | ||||||
| Year | G/GS | Rush | Yards | Avg. | TD | Lg |
| 2009 | 11/8 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | 12/12 | 5 | 40 | 8.00 | 0 | 14 |
| 2011 | 12/12 | 3 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 35/32 | 8 | 40 | 5.00 | 0 | 14 |
| Conner Vernon's Career Kickoff Return Stats | ||||||
| Year | G/GS | KOR | Yards | Avg. | TD | Lg |
| 2009 | 11/8 | 12 | 295 | 24.58 | 0 | 55 |
| 2010 | 12/12 | 6 | 143 | 23.83 | 0 | 32 |
| 2011 | 12/12 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 35/32 | 18 | 438 | 24.33 | 0 | 55 |
| 2009 Game Log | ||||||||
| Opponent | Rec | Yds | Lg | TD | Rush | Yds | Lg | TD |
| Richmond | 4 | 48 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Army | 2 | 23 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kansas | — DNP — | |||||||
| N.C. Central | 6 | 72 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Virginia Tech | 4 | 128 | 74 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| N.C. State | 10 | 86 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Maryland | 5 | 102 | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Virginia | 7 | 103 | 42 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| North Carolina | 3 | 21 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Georgia Tech | 3 | 18 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Miami | 3 | 52 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wake Forest | 8 | 93 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 Game Log | ||||||||
| Opponent | Rec | Yds | Lg | TD | Rush | Yds | Lg | TD |
| Elon | 10 | 129 | 47 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wake Forest | 8 | 181 | 70 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alabama | 2 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Army | 8 | 129 | 58 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Maryland | 6 | 99 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Miami | 3 | 33 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Virginia Tech | 6 | 44 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Navy | 5 | 90 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Virginia | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 0 |
| Boston College | 12 | 134 | 48 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Georgia Tech | 7 | 67 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 27 | 14 | 0 |
| North Carolina | 5 | 55 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 Game Log | ||||||||
| Opponent | Rec | Yds | Lg | TD | Rush | Yds | Lg | TD |
| Richmond | 8 |
78 |
19 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Stanford | 6 |
98 |
35 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Boston College |
6 |
116 |
53 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Tulane | 6 |
96 |
44 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| FIU | 8 |
117 |
30 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Florida State |
6 |
88 |
19 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Wake Forest |
7 |
59 |
22 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Virginia Tech | 4 |
88 |
39 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Miami | 5 |
43 |
13 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Virginia | 3 |
64 |
51 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Georgia Tech | 9 |
92 |
17 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| North Carolina | 2 |
17 |
9 |
0 |
1 |
-1 |
0 |
0 |
