Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Buckeye State Standout Jacob Matuska Had Strong Tie To The Irish By Dan Murphy Jacob Matuska's high school wardrobe was a simple one. Four years ago, the Columbus, Ohio, native showed up for his first day of school at Bishop Hartley High, right in the thick of Buckeye country, proudly wearing his Notre Dame tie. He wore the same tie every day that year. And when Matuska gave his verbal pledge to play for the Irish last March the tie resurfaced. He's worn it to class each day since. "That tells you where his heart is," Bishop Hartley head coach Brad Burchfield said. "Some people came in and tried to recruit him hard last winter, but he was having none of it. He wanted to play for Notre Dame from the beginning." Matuska wanted to be a part of the Irish program enough to agree to Matuska, the No. 20 strongside defensive end in the nation according to 247Sports, made 49 tackles and intercepted three passes while playing outside linebacker as a senior. photo courtesy 247sports play a completely new position when he gets started in South Bend. As a tight end, he averaged 21 yards per catch as a senior and made the Ohio Division IV allstate first team. Matuska said he had no qualms when the coaching staff asked him to switch to defensive end in college,