KC Concepcion wants you to know that his stutter does not define him

Concepcion said he always looked forward to the weekends, but not just because of football. “I got to wake up early and go into my stealth mode,” he said, “I’d tiptoe down the steps before my mom and my little brothers got up. Then I’d open up the pantry, all quiet, and pull stuff out and grab different things from the fridge. It’d be like: pancake mix — check, bacon — check, eggs — check, those Pillsbury cinnamon rolls that come in that weird cardboard canister that pops when you open it — check.”

Sound like a complicated meal for an 8-year-old? Concepcion’s spatial recognition and keen sense of awareness were forged by the flame, rotating bacon and cinnamon rolls in the toaster oven while the stovetops were occupied with pancakes and scrambled eggs.

When his home-cooked hotel breakfast was complete, Concepcion found joy in sharing his creation.

“Then, when I had everything ready, I’d plate it all and trudge back upstairs and yell out to my family, 'Goooooood morning, everybody!!!!!!!!! It’s that time again!!!!!! Breakfast in bed!!!!! Get it while it’s hot!!!!!!!!' It was like a party. Every single time.”

But, given the responsibility Concepcion shouldered in the house, his mind was never fully in the moment. While his brothers were excited for the delicious meal ahead, KC was happy for another reason.

“My mom and my little brothers, they’d be celebrating the pancakes. But me? I was celebrating something bigger…. I had 48 hours where I could just be at peace. And feel free to just be me. That was worth a party."

KC never lost his love, "And for what it’s worth — yeah, I still cook. My teammates eat well. Call me Kevvy Crocker.”

His stutter doesn’t define him, but it certainly was another roadblock Concepcion had to overcome. He faced bullying at school during the week, being called “dumb” and fielding questions such as “What’s wrong with you?” and “Why can’t you talk normal?”

Weekends were everything to KC: cooking, time with family, time away from mean peers, and, of course, football.

We’re starting to see the man KC Concepcion, whether today is a form in front of our eyes. Priority number one was family, where his large role in a single-parent household helped define his character and priorities. He provided leadership and breakfast in bed, and in return, he received love despite his stutter, unlike at school during the week. In turn, Concepcion’s hard work would then provide him with the fulfillment of helping your loved ones and solace on the weekends.

Priority number two was football. With his background already shaping him into a fearless and ambitious young leader, Concepcion was ready to take the reins as a star player. Like at home, his stutter and adversity at home didn’t matter on the field, saying people “only cared about if I could play. So just like those Saturday mornings in the kitchen — out on the field, I just got to be me.”

And boy could he play. Concepcion upset the Bulldogs, a youth league dynasty, in the U10 championship, scoring 7 touchdowns and rushing for 350 yards. After the game, everyone came up to applaud his elite play: "teammates, classmates, parents, coaches, players on the other team, referees, just like everyone." But what touched KC the most was his mom's reaction.

"But by far the best part was seeing my mom’s face in that moment. How happy she was. She’d been with me from the very beginning — through every hard day, every afternoon I came home beat down, every moment I felt hopeless. She never lost faith. Not once. And her smile on that day meant everything to me. It was like she realized I had done what she told me. I hadn’t given up. I kept going.

"And now … people were giving me high fives.

"So yeah, I just gotta pause here and say, Mom, if you happen to be reading this too — everything you ever taught me, every time you told me to keep my chin up, every morning you got up and kept going even when it was hard … I was watching. I learned how to be who I am from you. That moment was for you. And every single one after it? Those are for you, too. It’s always been for you."

With his mom's support and a lifetime of dedication, KC finally overcame the limits his stutter used to impose on him. He thanked his mom one more time, “You helped me get through the rough patches and reach a place where … by the time high school rolled around, nobody was thinking about how I spoke. They were too busy watching what I could do on the field.”

Read the full article by KC Concepcion at The Players' Tribune

Read part one about KC Concepcion's boldest claim: that he's the best wide receiver in the 2026 NFL Draft class

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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: KC Concepcion wants you to know that his stutter does not define him