Top 30 Most Overlooked High School Recruits to Go Pro Since 2000
By Zach Bigalke
It is hard to believe now, but 6’3″, 245-pound Clay Matthews III was an undersized high schooler who only began to hit his growth spurt during his senior season. His father, the defensive coordinator at Agoura High School in Agoura Hills, California, gave his son limited playing time due to his size, and the result was a complete lack of attention. Unranked by either scouting service among linebacker recruits, Matthews received limited interest from FCS programs and was not offered a single FBS scholarship. Instead he followed in the family footsteps by heading to USC, where he walked on to the Trojans team under Pete Carroll.
Matthews redshirted his first year in 2004, taking advantage of the extra time to develop further physically. He first reached the field in 2005, and was awarded a scholarship by Carroll after his freshman campaign. Yet he remained mostly a special-teams player until his senior season. That year, playing a hybridized edge-rushing role in the USC system, he notched 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. Much more physically mature than he was entering college, Matthews was selected by Green Bay with the 26th overall pick acquired from New England. In his second year he was named NFL Defensive Player of the year as the Packers won Super Bowl XLV.