For Owen Condon, the proverbial light bulb began to shine during a second-round game in the Oklahoma class 5A state playoffs during his junior season.

Condon had already put forward a great season as a left tackle for Bishop McGuinness in Oklahoma City, mauling opponents on a weekly basis. But his high school head coach, Justin Jones, said it was this particular playoff game against Tahlequah that he knew for sure that Condon was going to be an exceptional player at the next level if given the opportunity.

This particular game film says everything you need to know.

On one play, Condon pancaked two defenders within maybe a second of one another. On a goal-line run for a touchdown, Condon flattened the edge defender. In this game, Condon executed the scheme to near perfection.

“We knew he was going to have to have a big night against the team we were playing,” said Jones, who has since become the head coach at Norman North. “He understood the game plan, understood where defenders were going to be. I’m just telling you that watching that tape, it was artwork or poetry in motion. However you want to say it. You just saw that tape and you said, ‘OK, this kid is special, and he’s going to do some special things.’”

During his recruitment, which took off as a junior, Condon attracted the attention of Oklahoma native Sam Pittman, then the UGA offensive line coach. After his junior season, Condon committed to the Bulldogs on Jan. 10, 2017. The big 6-foot-7 and 315-pound lineman developed a solid connection with Pittman, who clearly saw Condon’s talent long before the home-state Oklahoma Sooners, which slow-played his recruitment.

But since that junior season, it has been tough for Condon health-wise. After two games into his senior season, Condon required meniscus surgery. After a redshirt year, Condon dealt with a high ankle sprain during last year’s fall camp. Once he was healthy, he worked behind both Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson at tackle before suffering a torn labrum.

Condon was forced to undergo surgery last November, which kept him out of practice at the end of the season.

“I had to work doing rehab this spring to get that right,” Condon said. “I’m back healthy, and I feel like I’m playing pretty well right now.”

Needing to replace both Thomas and Wilson up front, Condon has received a lot of first-team reps at right tackle since fall camp began in mid-August. Condon is competing for the starting spot along with Warren McClendon and Tate Ratledge.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said that Condon has played well throughout the preseason.

“Owen hasn’t been healthy since he’s been here,” Smart said. “He’s been a pleasant surprise in terms of competitiveness, intelligence, toughness. We’d like for him to play with a little more power and be able to move people.”

While he hasn’t won the starting job, Jones noted that Condon was never going to let injuries slow down his end goal.

“The thing about Owen is, he’s a mentally tough human being,” Jones said. “Injuries, things like that, aren’t going to sidetrack him. He understands the end goal he’s trying to achieve. He’s a highly motivated person.”

Back in high school, Condon’s path to becoming a Power Five offensive tackle truly began between his freshman and sophomore years. As a freshman, Condon was tall, but much slimmer. He hadn’t filled his frame out and mostly played with the freshman team as a result. Heading into his sophomore season is when Condon began to add the necessary weight and look the part of a big offensive lineman.

Jones began his sophomore year at right tackle and eventually moved to the left side. While Condon was the best offensive lineman on the Bishop McGuinness roster, Jones said he started to demand more out of him.

Jones wanted to put Condon in some competitive environments to bring the best out of him.

Condon responded accordingly.

“We were really pretty hard on him,” Jones said. “Naturally as a coach, when you see a kid that big, you have these big expectations for him. We wanted him to grow into those expectations. We wanted him to be dominant.”

Knowing he had the opportunity to win a starting spot with the Bulldogs, Condon spent the spring in quarantine due to the Covid-19 pandemic, training and cutting body fat. Condon said he got stronger in the process. He worked on his technique in both the run and pass game.

When it comes to run blocking, Condon said he’s worked with new offensive line coach Matt Luke to improve.

“It’s just those first couple of steps off the ball in the run game,” Condon said. “That’s a big thing I’ve taken from those two. You have to get your first two steps in the ground to get moving on the offensive line. Watching how they do it, watching the technique in the film room with coach Luke, and trying to get my steps right, I think that’s really helped me in the run game with backside cutouts and whatnot. That’s probably one thing I’ve taken from those two that has really helped my game.”

Condon also said he’s made strides as a pass protector too.

“The biggest thing for me was getting my feet and my steps right,” Condon said. “When I first got here, the game moved so much faster at this level. It took a while—I’m not going to lie. I feel like now, it’s all about working with coach Luke, or coach Pittman when he was here, and getting my steps right. Now that my legs are healthy, I’m feeling good. I feel my sets are as good as they’ve been.”

Condon has waited the past two years for the chance of entering a situation to compete for a starting spot. That’s all he can ask at this point.

And now that he’s finally healthy, Condon is making the most of it.

“Everyone wants to play, obviously, but at the same time, we’re all buddies. We’re hanging out and we’re joking in the meeting room when we’re not locked in. There’s no hard feelings or anything. The best man wins. Everybody understands that. There’s no animosity in our room, I feel like.

“Competition brings out the best in all of us. The best five are going to start, no matter who that is.”