Dunham fulfills FSU dream

Every kid wants to play for their dream school. Very few get the chance. So consider Columbus (Ga.) Pacelli running back Matt Dunham one of the lucky ones.

“I got the written offer and that was it for me,” said Dunham.

“I wanted to go ahead and get it over with and concentrate on my senior season. Florida State has always been my dream so when I got the letter I told coach Pettis that it was over for me.”

The 6-foot-2, 233 pound bruising back chose the Noles over offers from Florida, Maryland, Auburn and Georgia Tech.

“My decision is final because this is where I have always wanted to go. Coach Jody Allen came by and gave my coach the written offer and he said he was going to come back by today. When he came back by coach Pettis told him that I was committing.”

While Dunham’s position on the high school level is running back and safety, he could play a number of positions on the college level.

“Coach Allen told me that they don’t offer many out of state kids this early,” said Pacelli coach Kevin Pettis. “He said that they decided to offer Matt because of his versatility. He said that he believes Matt could be an every down back, a linebacker or a safety. The kicker was when he told that the though he would make a great defensive end if they had two years to beef him up.”

So just what position is the Peach State star going to play on the next level?

“Coach Allen told me that they would let Matt start out wherever he wanted,” said Pettis. “If they felt like he would be better somewhere else then they would move him. He really thinks that Matt will play early, no matter what position it is.”

Pettis stated that Dunham has recently lowered his forty yard dash time to 4.5 seconds and maxed out at 400 pounds on the bench press.

“My whole thing was that I wanted to play early,” said Dunham. “Coach Pettis told me what their coaches said and then handed me the offer and that was it. This is my dream school, I’m the most excited I’ve ever been.”

As a junior he picked up all-state honors as a safety, all-region honors, and all-Bi-city honors.

“Matt came here in the eighth grade and I asked him what his goal was. He told me that it was to win a state championship and play for Florida State. We are all really happy for him and proud of him. Not many kids get to live this kind of dream.”