Incredible story. Clay Matthews Jr., once a 6-1 165 pound high school junior whose coach dad didn't even start him at Agoura High in California, will hit the NFL as a 6-3, 246 pound first round draft pick. In between that the player walked-on at dad's and uncle's alma mater USC to join the incredible line-backing crew as a DE.
There must a few million 6-1 165 pound high school kids walking around out there. Start lifting weights, eating healthy, and dreaming of the NFL -- although you may not have the genetics of Matthews -- because you too could be a first round NFL pick...if you know the right people.
Titans_to_host_prospects_clay_matthews_jr_and_wr As a junior at Agoura High, Matthews was 6-1 and weighed about 165 pounds. His body ached from growing pains and his father, the team's defensive coordinator, declined to start him.
"His mom was giving me the business, but he wasn't ready," the elder Matthews said, chuckling. "He wasn't very big and he wasn't very strong."
Matthews continued to grow during his senior season but drew interest only from local community colleges.
Rather than pursuing that route, Matthews told his father he wanted to walk on at USC, where Clay-Mat3thews brother Kyle was a walk-on safety in 2003.
Matthews showed up at unknown weight at USC; by 2005 he was listed as 6-3 225. Not bad gains over 3 years from high school: 165 to 225, although he does sport a 6-3 frame. By 2008, USC listed Matthews at 246. That's 81 pounds of weight 09000d5d80ee562b_gallery_600(muscle) on Matthews since a junior in high school (over 6 years), which is probably not unheard of for college linemen; for a linebacker to retain or increase speed while packing on 80 pounds, that's fantastic.
What's in the water at USC? Someone test it, especially in the off-season; those are super-human gains. Matthews and companion linebacker Brian Cushing overcame false rumors they tested positive at the NFL combine for roids, so they must be clean, right?
Not that we know USC for Mark McGwire, Brian Cushing, the Ting Bros, and other incredible muscle-gaining strories, not at all.