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Top NFL Draft prospect KC Concepción talked about growing up with a stuttering problem in a letter to general managers.
Concepción, a former wide receiver for the Texas A&M Aggies, opened his letter by acknowledging his stuttering issues. The 21-year-old spoke of being teased at school for his stutter.
“The other kids at school would notice how I would get stuck on certain words. Or that it would take me a second to respond to the teacher or tell them my name,” Concepción wrote in The Players Tribune.
“And look, kids are mean sometimes. It’s that simple. They’d point at me, make faces, or raise their eyebrows, and then say, ‘What’s wrong with you?!??!'”
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Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver KC Concepción runs for a touchdown against the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri, on Nov. 8, 2025. (Jay Biggerstaff/Image Images)
“Or, ‘Why can’t you talk normal? Are you dumb or something????’ Dead in my face. While he starts laughing. no with meor even about me…. In me. Man…it was hard.
“But that’s how it was for me when I was a kid. Every day, Monday through Friday at school. There were so many afternoons when I would come home from school totally defeated. I was crying my eyes out in front of my mom, really.”
Concepción wrote that her mother would do everything possible to boost her confidence. The Rochester, New York, native said he looked forward to the weekends because it meant he could be himself and play football.
However, as the team’s quarterback, he said he would have trouble pronouncing the words when trying to call plays. Concepción said that during elementary school, she took speech classes to try to help, but nothing seemed to work.
Concepción said that one summer after finishing the school year, his stuttering had disappeared, but when he returned to school, the stuttering returned and hasn’t gone away since. He said there was no one at school to take care of him when he was made fun of for his stutter.
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Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion during the NFL scouting combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 28, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Image Images)
“I would love to tell you that I had a group of teachers looking out for me, or other adults at school helping me deal with all the teasing, but that wasn’t really the case. There was also no one I knew or could look up to who was dealing with something similar. So I basically figured things out on my own,” Concepción said.
“And back then, the way I handled my situation was, a lot of times… I basically didn’t talk. Especially with people I didn’t know. And when I had to talk, I learned to clap. I had those answers ready, man! Sometimes that worked and sometimes it didn’t. But it was like… At least I’m doing something!”
The criticism Concepción faced for his stutter continued at the NFL Scouting Combine in March, and he took to social media to respond to critics. According to The Stuttering Foundation, more than 80 million people worldwide, including about 3 million Americans, suffer from stuttering.
Concepción had a message for children who suffer from stuttering problems.
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Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko hugs Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver KC Concepcion (7) before a game against the Miami Hurricanes during the first round of the CFP at Kyle Field on Dec. 20, 2025. (Maria Lysaker/Imagn Images)
“So, to any kid out there who is carrying something heavy right now: a stutter, something that makes you feel different, anything that has ever made someone look at you sideways… just know this: My success… is your successtoo,” wrote Concepción.
“I want you to come with me on this journey. Because you and me? We’re not weird. There’s nothing wrong with us. Whatever makes you different, that’s not what’s stopping you. That’s his stuff. Own it. Be you, fully. No apologies.”
With the Aggies last season, Concepción caught 61 passes for 919 yards and nine touchdowns, leading the SEC in touchdowns. He was named to the All-American team for the first time in his college career last season.
