Mathews prepares for second official
This weekend defensive end McKenzie Mathews out of Syracuse (N.Y.) Christian Brothers will be taking a second official visit to Ohio State. The 6-foot-3, 235-pounder with 4.8-second speed went on to discuss the upcoming visit.
"I'm looking forward to seeing the atmosphere up there and talking to the coaches, especially the defensive coordinator to see exactly where I may fit in," he said. "I'm hoping to also get a look at the campus and see if it's somewhere I could see myself going."
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Last week the three-star prospect saw the Buckeyes loss to Penn State.
"I saw the game on TV and it was pretty good. Penn State played better than I thought they would and both defenses were great," he said. "Penn State's linebacker is amazing as he had 18 solo tackles and some assists, meanwhile Ohio State's defense did well too as they held Michael Robinson in check and I know it's hard to contain a running quarterback. The only problem with Ohio State was that the offense didn't perform and I didn't like what Troy Smith was doing out there. The defense was controlling him too much."
The win certainly helped the Nittany Lions for Mathews's services.
"Seeing them beat a good top ten team in Ohio State shows that Joe Pa has some tricks up his sleeves," he said. "I don't think any recruit wants to go somewhere that might have a coaching change because that's always difficult. This win makes sure there aren't as many questions at Penn State."
The No. 15 weakside defensive end in the country is wide open at this time and has no idea who else will receive his last two official visits.
"I haven't narrowed my list at all, but I'll probably try to take one of them during the season and the other afterwards. I'm also looking at taking an unofficial to Penn State sometime too."
Mathews has helped Christian Brothers to an impressive 6-0 season so far.
"The season is going really good and I've been playing well. I have about 45 tackles and 12 sacks," he said. "I've had some bad games, but I'm happy with the way I've helped the team. I still don't think I've played to my potential, there's another level I can get to. The biggest difference for me since last year is that I'm faster because of all the summer training I put in. I also move and read offenses better and pick up on my assignments."