Clay Matthews

William Clay Matthews III (born May 14, 1986) is an American football linebacker for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Packers 26th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Southern California. Matthews was born in the Los Angeles district of Northridge to parents Clay and Leslie Matthews. He attended Agoura High School in Agoura Hills, California. Physically, Matthews was a late bloomer. His father was the team's defensive coordinator, but declined to start his son because he was physically undersized. Matthews began developing physically in his senior season, but only garnered interest from Division I FCS schools and local community colleges. He has described his own recruiting status out of high school as "not applicable." Like his father and uncle, Matthews opted to attend the University of Southern California with hopes of becoming a walk-on for the Trojans football team. Matthews played for the USC Trojans football team (2005-2008 seasons; 2004 redshirt) under head coach Pete Carroll and Linebacker Coach Ken Norton, Jr. Matthews entered USC as an unheralded, walk-on student athlete. During his