Matthews hopes to keep on winning
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian linebacker Casey Matthews has two major goals this week at the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl.
"I just want to have fun because it's an all-star game," Matthews, a 6-foot-1, 220-pound three-star linebacker, said. "Fun would be the main thing, but I also want to win."
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And winning is something that Matthews has done plenty of in his high school career.
After winning CIF titles in his sophomore, junior and senior seasons, he wrapped up his year with a California state championship victory over Santa Rose (Calif.) Cardinal Newman. He hopes to be able to carry that success with him when he moves on to the next level.
"The last time I lost a game was my freshman year," Matthews said. "I'm going to try take that streak up to Oregon with me. I haven't experienced losing too much. I hope we win. We need to win."
Matthews said he's been extremely impressed with the Oregon recruiting class so far. The Ducks have five players playing in the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl, and Matthews plans on getting to know his future teammates even better.
"This year they've actually had one of the quickest starts in recruiting and it's good to know you have some quality players that you'll be playing with the next four years," he said.
"I just want to get to know the other Oregon commits. It'll be good to get to know them before we report to camp and maybe build a bond with them. You don't want to have to rely on just one person."
Matthews comes from outstanding football bloodlines. His father Clay Matthews was a standout at USC and played 19 years in the NFL. Casey says he's excited that this time around that his football accolades have turned into a nice reward for his family.
"My parents are coming down on Wednesday, and they'll be here until the end," Matthews said. "They're pretty excited because they get to come to Florida for a mini-vacation. It's nice for them to get a little reward for all of the times they've been there to support me."