Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1414190
12 OCT. 2, 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME BGI: How you do balance your major in aerospace engineering and a minor in real estate with playing football at Notre Dame? Salerno: "It's definitely been diffi- cult the past four years trying to bal- ance all of that. You can't do things by yourself. I've had to had classmates and teammates help me stay on top of both. It's learning to prioritize and time man- age. "It's been tough, but I think it will set me up for success later on in life." BGI: What got you interested in those fields of study? Salerno: "I initially started with aerospace engineering as my major because in high school I enjoyed math and science a lot more than English and writing. I think my mind just works better in those areas. I always thought aerospace engineering was cooler than civil engineering or electrical engineer- ing and the others. It's more exciting. "With real estate, it's what my dad does. It's what my brother does. I've been interested in that always talking to them about it." BGI: What was it like being Notre Dame's primary punt returner in 2020? Salerno: "It's definitely been a dream come true for me. It was not something I ever expected to happen. I didn't re- turn punts in high school at all. We were 1-10 so we weren't forcing many punts. "The opportunity kind of just popped up for me last year with some guys be- ing out with COVID and stuff like that. It kind of just fell into my lap. Once I had the chance, I kind of ran with it. To be able to contribute in the win versus Clemson, to play in the Rose Bowl, the ACC Championship, it was all an in- credible experience that I'm thankful for." BGI: What was your most memorable punt return? Salerno: "It's one of those things where you get tunnel vision. Once the ball is in the air, I don't see anything else. I don't see the fans or anything like that. The one return I remember was against Boston College. It was a short kick so I wasn't going to return it, but it hit one of our guys and popped into my hands. It turned into a 12-yard return. So that was exciting. "Sometimes it can be a thankless job when you're just going out fair catch- ing, especially close to the end zone. But that helps a lot with field position instead of letting the ball bounce and be downed at the 1 and then it's a 99-yard drive. So even though it could have been thankless at times, I was very glad to be in that role." BGI: What do you bring to the table as a wide receiver? Salerno: "I'm very comfortable in the slot. I've learned to find a little niche there. Like guys before me, like [Chris] Finke, or even Hunter Renfrow from Clemson being a walk-on, I feel like I could be a trusty third-down guy. "Maybe not taking the top off on a post like Braden Lenzy or Kevin Austin, but I feel like I could be a dependable player in third-down situations." BGI: What has it been like to work with Lenzy, Austin and the other Notre Dame wide receivers? Salerno: "It's been awesome. The guys now, and especially the guys before me watching Finke and Chase Claypool, I feel like you learn a lot more by watch- ing other guys. "Watching Avery Davis release in the slot and things like that, it's been great to be around guys who are always rais- ing up my level of competition and to be able to learn from them and get better from them." BGI: What's it like lining up on the other side of the line of scrimmage from someone like junior safety Kyle Ham- ilton? Salerno: "It's a pretty cool experi- ence. For me, it's a confidence booster knowing that I'm competing against one of the best players in the country. I know if I'm ever put in a position where I'm supposed to go out on the field and compete for us, those are the guys I've been competing against. "Those are the guys I've lost reps against, won reps against and just grown from competing against. It's pretty cool." BGI: How has it been to watch your younger brother, Chris, also walk on to Notre Dame as a kicker? Salerno: "It's been incredible. At first it was a little surreal because he still feels so much younger than me. He's three years younger than me so it was strange being in college while he's in college. "But during practice whenever I make a play and he comes up and gives me a high five or running out of the tunnel and he's right there, just little things like that make it incredible. Nothing can re- ally replace that experience." ✦ Salerno was Notre Dame's primary punt returner in 2020. He returned 10 punts for 45 yards in addition to a bevy of sure-handed fair catches. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER W A L K - O N P L A Y E R S U N I O N WOPU WOPU SPOTLIGHT SPOTLIGHT BY TYLER HORKA Q&A with Senior Wide Receiver Matt Salerno