![]() He also went from the relative obscurity of a walk-on to a significant member of the Trojans defense, which boasted arguably one of the best core of linebackers in collegiate football history. He went from a 6-foot-1, 165-pound kid to a 6-foot-3, 240-pound man. “I wanted to be the best, and I knew it was going to take hard work, but I was willing to do that,” Matthews said.īy his senior year at USC, Matthews went from being an unheralded walk-on player to a well-known NFL prospect. Three years out of high school, Matthews started making a name for himself. Through hard work and an unquestioned desire to improve, he earned an athletic scholarship for the 2006 season, making his presence felt on special teams and as a reserve linebacker. Still just an ordinary guy among extraordinary talent, his abilities proved worthy enough for Carroll and the rest of his coaching staff to give him a greater opportunity. Then, he watched as the Trojans signed one of the greatest linebacker classes in history, including Rey Maualuga and Brian Cushing. To preserve another season of eligibility, Matthews redshirted that year. “I knew that I was capable of so much more,” he told the Times. It was at this time that former coach Pete Carroll and former linebackers coach Ken Norton always looked Matthews’ way, asking if he desired to play.īut when Carroll asked, Matthews turned him down. The waning minutes of a blowout game are designated for non-scholarship players who put in arguably twice as much work yet receive only minimal reward. Playing time is playing time, but it was far different to Matthews. That year, which happened to be the Trojans’ 2004 national championship season, gave Matthews a chance to play, albeit only in garbage time. When Matthews joined the team during the 2004 season, his family legacy continued and a dream was fulfilled.įinally donning the cardinal and gold, Matthews was an unheralded, unknown player among flashy five-star recruits. Maybe I was crazy to have that mind-set, but obviously that’s better than saying you can’t.” “I thought I could come in here, day one, and be the guy. “I knew I was capable of playing with the best athletes in the nation,” Matthews told the Los Angeles Times. Like his father and uncle before him, who chose the great Trojan tradition and left behind an even greater legacy, Matthews picked USC. Rather than settling, he chose to chase his dream.
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