Conklin attended L'Anse Creuse High School - North in Macomb Township, Michigan, where he was a standout two-sport athlete, playing as a wide receiver in football and combo guard in basketball.
[1] As a junior, Conklin led his basketball team to the Class A Final Four, scoring 22 points in a 59–46 semifinal loss to eventual state champion Saginaw High.
He began the process of transferring again, this time to play tight end with his close friend and former high school quarterback at NAIA Siena Heights University.
However, when the Central Michigan coaching staff learned of this, they convinced him to stay, agreeing to let him play tight end and assuring him that he'd have the opportunity to earn a scholarship in the spring of 2015.
After his rehab went better than anticipated,[6] Conklin was cleared to return to the field on October 7, 2017, for CMU's game against Ohio in which he set career-highs with 10 catches for 136 yards and two scores in a 26–23 victory.