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Top NFL Draft prospect KC Concepcion opened up about growing up with a stuttering problem in a letter to general managers.
Concepcion, a former Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver, opened his letter by acknowledging his stuttering issues. The 21-year-old says he was made fun of at school because of his stutter.
“The other kids at school would notice how I got stuck on certain words. Or that it took me a second to answer the teacher, or to tell them my name,” Concepcion wrote in The Players Tribune.
“And look, kids are mean sometimes. It’s as simple as that. They’d point at me, or make faces, or raise their eyebrows, and then they’d be like, ‘What’s wrong with you?!??!'”
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Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver KC Concepcion runs for a touchdown against the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri on November 8, 2025. (Jay Biggerstaff/Imagn Images)
“Or: ‘Why can’t you talk normally? Are you stupid or something????’ Dead in front of me. While bursting out laughing. No with meor even about Me…. HAS Me. Man…that was tough.
“But that’s how it was for me when I was little. Every day. Monday to Friday at school. There were so many afternoons where I came home from school completely devastated. I cried to my mother, for real.”
Concepcion wrote that her mother would do everything she could to boost her confidence. The Rochester, New York, native said he looked forward to the weekends because it meant he could be himself and he could play football.
However, as the team’s quarterback, he said he would have difficulty getting the words out when trying to call plays. Concepcion said that in elementary school, he took speech therapy classes to try to help, but nothing seemed to work.
Concepcion said that one summer after the school year ended, his stuttering disappeared, but when he returned to school, the stuttering returned and has not gone away since. He said no one at school checked on him when he was made fun of for his stutter.
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Texas A&M Wideout KC Concepcion during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 28, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
“I would love to tell you that I had a group of teachers who looked out for me, or other adults at school who helped me deal with all the teasing, but that wasn’t really the case. There was also no one that I knew or could look up to that was dealing with anything similar. So basically, I kind of figured things out on my own,” Concepcion said.
“And back then, most of the time, I was dealing with my situation…I just didn’t talk. Especially with people I didn’t know. And when I had to talk, I learned to clap. I had those comebacks ready, man! Sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn’t work. But it was like…. At least I’m doing something!”
The criticism Concepcion faced for his stutter continued at the NFL Scouting Combine in March, and he took to social media to fire back at the criticism. More than 80 million people worldwide, including about 3 million Americans, suffer from stuttering, according to the Stuttering Foundation.
Concepcion had a message for children dealing with stuttering issues.
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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 in the CFP first round at Kyle Field on December 20, 2025. (Maria Lysaker/Imagn Images)
“So for any child who is carrying something heavy right now – a stutter, something that makes you feel different, anything that has ever caused someone to look at you sideways… just know this: my success… is your successtoo,” Concepcion wrote.
“I want you to come with me on this journey. Because you and me? We’re not weird. There’s nothing wrong with us. No matter what makes you different, that’s not what’s holding you back. It’s your thing. Own it. Be yourself fully. No excuses.”
With the Aggies last season, Concepcion 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.
