 |
| Kristian Mateus (#70) blocks Jake Ryan a couple spring games ago |
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 306 lbs.
High school: Ada (MI) Forest Hills Central
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #70
Last year: I did not rank Mateus. He played in three games as a backup offensive tackle.
Mateus is one of those walk-on guys who has taken a few years to develop, and he finally seems to be rounding into serviceable form. After not seeing the field in 2010 or 2011, he played in three games as a redshirt sophomore, including games against Big Ten opponents Illinois and Iowa. While both of those games were blowouts, that's still a pretty decent achievement for a walk-on who's been sitting behind a likely first round pick (Taylor Lewan) for the past few years.
Lewan is still here, and so is right tackle Michael Schofield, so Mateus probably isn't in danger of competing for a starting job this fall. He is, however, a seasoned backup with good size. He probably does not have the athleticism, leverage, or strength to be a viable long-term option, but the backup tackles are still young and undersized, so Mateus might be able to help in a pinch.
Prediction: Backup offensive tackle
He's one planted foot and a step away from being beat like a drum on this play, but then Jake Ryan does that to a lot of guys.
ReplyDeleteInteresting ... I've long assumed that this guy was basically a turnstile at that position. Good to see that years of hard work occasionally pay off. He's ahead of some highly ranked (but younger, of course) recruits.
ReplyDeleteThink you're right here, that he's a guy who could end up playing if things go very badly...or very well (i.e., blowout)
ReplyDelete