The Next Man In

Brian Kelly and his staff got their second verbal commitment for the Class of 2013.  The Irish landed 6’5” 240lb tight end / defensive end Jacob Matuska from Bishop Hartley high school out of Columbus Ohio.  Matuska also had offers from big time programs including Michigan, Oklahoma and Nebraska, Jacob has been times at 4.7 in the 40 yard dash. Although most of his recruitment has been as a tight end the Irish seem more interested in him on the defensive side of the ball.  If that ends up being the case he will have to add tome size, perhaps red shirting his first year to add bulk.  He has the frame to add enough weight so slide in and play defensive tackle and the word is he plays hard, real hard.  The film (limited) that I have watched shows an athletic tight end with good hands and a receiver that can split out a little to go down field.  He also looks like a solid blocker. Matuska attended Notre Dames Junior day which most likely made an impact on his decision.   Although Adam Breneman is still the gold standard for the class of 2013 tight end recruits landing a multi-talented “big skill” player like Matuska shows Kelly’s ability to get versatile players.  With offers from Cincinnati and Toledo along with interest from Ohio State this is a good snag from state of Ohio.  Adding a player from the class of 2013 like Matuska to players from the recruiting class of 2012 like Jaron Jones, Sheldon Day and Romeo Okwara along with current young players including Aaron Lynch, Stephon Tuitt, Chase Hounshell and Ishaq Williams the front seven should be very tough for the near future.