Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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despite going to a school known for churning out the very best at the tight end position. The 6-5, 240-pounder played outside linebacker for Bishop Hartley where he became an impact player at the point of attack. The Notre Dame staff plans to bulk him up enough to outgrow the tight end spot and put his hand on DE Jacob Matuska the ground among a talented group of defensive linemen. The potential to play on offense in goal-line situations isn't off the table for Matuska, but with a long list of other options at the position he may have caught his last pass on a football field. That seems to suit him and his Irish tie just fine. "I obviously enjoy tight end and that's what I was getting recruited for by most schools, but like I said I chose Notre Dame for other reasons not just where I would play and my position," Matuska said. "I really want to go there, so I'll do whatever I can to help the team out and be able to play on the field." ✦ 6-5 ✦ 240 pounds ✦ Bishop Hartley ✦ Columbus, Ohio Notable: Born on Nov. 5, 1994 … Runs a 4.77 40-yard dash, bench presses 285 pounds and squats 350 pounds … Also a starter for the Bishop Hartley basketball team … Hopes to major in pre-med studies and go into sports medicine … Holds a 3.75 GPA … Made a one-handed touchdown catch in a winning effort at the Ohio state championship game as a junior. Rankings: Rated as a three-star recruit, the No. 24 player in Ohio and the No. 20 strong side defensive end in the nation by 247Sports … Ranked as a three-star recruit, the No. 18 tight end in the country and the No. 25 player in Ohio by Rivals.com … A four-star prospect and the No. 32 defensive end in the country according to Scout.com … Tabbed as a three-star prospect, the 18th-best tight end nationally, the 53rd-best player in Ohio and the 116th best player in the Midwest by ESPNU … Received a threeplus star rating and a No. 22 tight end ranking nationally from Tom Lemming and MaxPreps.com. Statistics: Made 35 career catches at tight end for 605 yards and 10 touchdowns … Caught 16 passes for 348 yards and four scores in his senior season … Intercepted three passes and recovered a fumble during his senior season, to go along with 49 tackles and four tackles for loss … Made 122 career tackles and eight tackles for loss in three seasons. Honors: A first-team Division IV All-Ohio and first-team Ohio All-Academic selection at tight end … First-team All-Metro Columbus team as a tight end. All-Star Games And Camps: Plans to play in the Ohio North-South All-Star Classic in April … Camped at Notre Dame prior to his junior and senior seasons. Brian Kelly's Comments: "He's a another winner, and another guy that can play in the profile that we have at the defensive line position for us. He is also versatile enough that he can play on the other side of the ball. Our target is to play him on the defensive side of the ball. He's going to physically get bigger and stronger. We just like his work ethic. We're really excited about him as a person." Bishop Hartley Head Coach Brad Burchfield's Comments: "He was a key to a lot of what we want to do defensively. It's a combination of his athletic ability and his size. I don't think that combination is common. Obviously that's why he's going to play big-time football at Notre Dame."