Click for Amir Matheney Highlights
It’s always fun to see new prospects emerge after their junior seasons are completed and 2017 Olympia (Wa.) DL Amir Matheney is just such a player.
At 6’2″ and weighing in at 290 pounds, Matheney has the requisite size to be a real force as a senior next fall and then at the collegiate level. This past season, while helping to lead Bears to a 7-3 record and a berth in the state playoffs, the talented interior line prospect had 56 tackles, seven sacks and 13 tackles-for-loss while earning First Team All-Narrows 4A honors.
“I played both as a nose tackle and as a defensive tackle,” Matheney told Northwest Elite Index recently. “I think what sets me apart as a player on defense is my ability to run down plays 15 yards in the backfield or 15 yards down the field.
“I think what has helped me become better at my skills as a defensive tackleis the time I spend in the weight room. I’m in there seven days a week and I watch a lot of other successful defensive tackles and try to copy their technique. Another thing that really helped me this year was the camps I attended last summer. They were a big part of my training.”
Those camps included Washington’s Rising Stars camp, the Barton Rough Diamonds camp, the Barton Northwest Stars camp and the Team USA camp.
“There was a lot of good coaching and talent to compete against at those camps and that always helps you improve,” Matheney noted.
As far as recruiting, things are just getting started for the junior.
“I haven’t had any direct contact with any schools yet, but I have gotten a lot of mail and contact from schools through social media,” Matheney said. “Mainly it’s been Cal, Eastern Washington, Washington State and Wyoming.”
With his ideal size and quickness to go along with his natural strength, Matheney is definitely a prospect to keep an eye on during the spring and summer as we get into the evaluation and camp portions of the 2017 recruiting cycle. You don’t see players like him come along often within the state of Washington, so it’ll be interesting to see how things progress with him.
