Budarick was born in South Australia and spent the early years of his life in the small crayfishing town of Robe[1] before relocating to Queensland's Gold Coast at the age of 9.
[2] His father, Craig, was a professional Australian rules footballer who initially played for Glenelg in the SANFL where he kicked 150 goals in 66 games[3] and was drafted to the Sydney Swans with pick 110 in the 1989 national draft.
[4] Connor played his junior football for the Labrador Tigers and joined the Gold Coast Suns Academy at 12 years of age.
[5] He made his NEAFL debut for Southport at 16 years of age and became a regular selection for the Gold Coast Suns reserves team in 2018.
[10] Budarick was drafted to the Gold Coast Suns as an academy pre-listed player in October 2019.