Matayo! Daylight comes and quarterbacks want to go home

In any sport the truly great athletes are the ones with tremendous physical talent combined with mental discipline and the drive to work harder than anybody else, to work when nobody is watching, work like they're struggling to make the team; to beat their bodies like boxers and practice until they can't get it wrong. 

Tom Brady. Walter Payton. Jerry Rice. Michael Jordan. Kobe Bryant. Lebron James. When he was at Stanford Tiger Woods used to attend his classes in the morning, drive to Pebble Beach in the afternoon and rip two irons into the wind until dark.

Oregon's new Edge Rusher, linebacker, strongside defensive end and tight end Matayo Uiagalelei works like that. A 5-star, Top 20 recruit in the country as a high school prospect at 6-5, 265, he's physically gifted, fluid and explosive, but under the guidance of his uncle Iona he hones his body and his technique with tireless intensity:

Matayo just got back in fr Oregon last night and he wasted no time getting back on the field with his uncle Iona, the training that helped him become the #1 Edge rusher in the country @TheFront54 ‼️ He’s gotten lean but still maintaining his 6’6” 270lbs pound frame, and as you… pic.twitter.com/kno96j3Zx5

— Big Dave Uiagalelei (@DUiagalelei) June 14, 2023

 Matayo's star emerged early. USC and LSU offered him a scholarship in 8th grade, already 6-4, 225. He played on two national champion teams at St. John Bosco in Bellflower, California. In his senior season he made the All-American Bowl and the Polynesian Bowl. Nearly every Division One powerhouse offered. SC, Ohio State and Oregon were his final three.

For elite football families, choosing a school is a business decision, chiefly about the dollars and the development opportunities. It's natural and understandable that this is so. Still Uiagalelei had the grace to say (to Greg Biggins of 247 Sports) “I just had a great comfort level with Oregon. I felt really comfortable with the coaches and a lot of the players on the team and loved my visits every time I was there."

Matayo is a three-and-done player, headed to the NFL. He'll contribute immediately to the defense as a pass rusher and run stopper. Defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi and head coach Dan Lanning love his versatility, the fluidity and explosiveness that allow him to move seamlessly from putting a hand in the ground to rush the passer, snaring a touchdown pass one-handed, or dropping into a zone to read and react.

Matayo is also artistic. He produces music beats under the handle Young Concrete, something his uncles got him interested in. Family connections got him started, but he has real talent in that area too, working with music executives and artists like Shawn “Tubby” Holiday, Trill Vont and Quavo.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Uiagalelei said to Adam Gorney of Rivals, “I just love to make music.”

The well-roundedness will help him cope with the pressures of football. The game comes easy to him, but he's not about to take it easy.