This year’s NFL lockout turned out to be a blessing for Blessed Sacrament Huguenot (Powhatan, VA) senior offensive tackle Augie Conte . It enabled the 6’6″, 275-pound prospect to work closely with former BSH lineman Kyle Jolly, who started 38 consecutive games at UNC and is now currently on the Atlanta Falcons practice squad. The experience proved invaluable for Conte, who earned scholarships from Virginia and Virginia Tech this past summer before pledging to the Hokies.

“Last summer and pretty much all preseason, I was helped by Kyle Jolly,” Conte recalled. “He started for three years at North Carolina. He played on the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad and is now with the Atlanta Falcons practice squad. In the offseason, he was telling me what college coaches are looking for. He helped me a lot in terms of learning fundamentals and things I needed to impress college coaches.”

The two linemen worked out together on a consistent basis.

“We were going to the gym, and we’d workout at the football field at my school,” Conte said. “Kyle and I would do workouts. We’d work with the speed ladder. John Moore, who plays outside linebacker at Hampden-Sydney, would do workouts while Kyle and I would do the speed ladder.

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