Matthew Hegarty (Aztec, N.M./Aztec) is the total package at offensive tackle. He has good size, he is an elite athlete, he is a top flight pass protector, and he gets it done in the run game. When it came to finding a college, he was also looking for the total package.
From the beginning of the recruiting cycle Matt Hegarty was one of the nation’s most sought-after prospects. The talented 6-foot-5 offensive tackle had been offered and was being recruited by programs such as Texas, USC, Oklahoma, Florida State, Louisiana State, Michigan, Nebraska, Stanford, UCLA, and Oregon.
When the process began Hegarty was planning on waiting awhile before making a decision. “I was looking to decide around June or July and get it taken care of,” noted Hegarty. “There were several things that went into the decision. I had to weigh all the different things I was looking for like good academics, networking opportunities, and the football program.”
In April, Hegarty surprised many by ending the process early. “Obviously Notre Dame had all those things,” explained the four-star tackle. “One day I felt good about it so I talked to my parents, spoke with my coach, and pulled the trigger.”
After committing to Notre Dame Hegarty realized he was surrounded by more Irish faithful than he ever imagined. “The community response was pretty awesome,” explained Hegarty. He chuckled when he added, “I was surprised to see how many Notre Dame alums were down in Aztec, New Mexico.”
“There were a few schools that talked about possibly offering, but I let them know that my recruitment was done and my commitment was solid.” That has not stopped other schools from still trying to get in with Hegarty. “There are a number of schools that send mail and emails, but it has slowed down quite a bit,” said Hegarty.
It wasn’t just the academics and football tradition that sold Hegarty on Notre Dame. “Coach (Kerry) Cooks was great,” said Hegarty. “Even really early on when they offered and I was learning about them he definitely had an impact on what I feel about Notre Dame. He really is a top of the line recruiter.” Hegarty continued to sing the praises of Coach Cooks. “I compared all the coaches who were recruiting me, and he was the best.” Hegarty continued, “He really is a top of the line recruiter, he is a great guy, and we still talk.”
Hegarty is glad the process is over with. “It was good having it done and being able to focus on myself and getting the team ready,” noted Hegarty. “I haven’t had any second guessing moments.”
With recruiting out of the way Hegarty is now able to focus on his senior season. “I got a trainer who got me hooked up with a weight gain diet,” said Hegarty. “I’m up to 280 pounds which is nice. Putting on weight is good for tackles and I was amazed to see how I was losing fat percentage but also was able to gain the weight.” The results are apparent to the Aztec High standout. “I look bigger, I’m starting to put up bigger numbers in the weight room, and I feel good now. It’s been a good summer.”
Hegarty is excited about the results of his new workout routine. It is showing up in more ways than just Hegarty passing the mirror test. This past week Hegarty and his Aztec teammates did their final summer testing. “I did a 540 squat, 560 dead lift, 290 bench, 310 power clean, 23 tricep dips, and a 28-inch vertical,” Hegarty said. “I ran a 7:20 mile, a 5.0 forty, and 51 seconds on the dot drill.”
Hegarty and his teammates did more than just stay in Aztec and workout together. “We just got back from a tour in California that we do every year,” explained Hegarty. “This year we took about 45 guys and about ten or eleven linemen.” It was primarily a 7-on-7 tournament, but there were events for the linemen as well. “We have a couple offensive line challenges that we do,” said Hegarty. They have a bench test, they’ll do sled pulls, pushing the truck with tires on it.” The Aztec players performed quite well. “We finished third overall out of 37 teams. Our skill guys did really well too.”
Others took notice of their performance. “We got a few articles in the paper which was cool to see.” He added, “I think they were surprised because New Mexico is not highly thought of for football.” Hegarty laughed when he said, “A lot of people thought we were from Mexico.”
Hegarty and his Aztec teammates start their official fall practice this Monday. Fall practice will be a bit different this fall. “Two years ago we went to the state finals and we did three-a-days and last year we did two-a-days and lost in the state-finals,” said Hegarty. “So we told our coach (Brad Hirsch) we wanted to do three-a-days.”
The hope is that the changes to the practice schedule will allow the talented Aztec team to reverse their recent playoff mis-fortunes. “We are called the Buffalo Bills of New Mexico,” Hegarty said. “The last eight years we’ve never finished lower than the quarterfinals, and we have three state championship appearances.” He went on to add, “We have the state record for most state appearances without a win.”
Hegarty wants to end his high school career by going out as a champion. “We gotta stay focused and go week by week,” said Hegarty, “but our ultimate goal is to make a deep run.”
ESPN.com’s No. 24 ranked player believes his team has the talent to get the job done. “We have nineteen starters coming back this year,” explained Hegarty. “We ended up having seven freshmen starting last year who were talented.
“We have so many kids with varsity experience and I see it being a good year. We are really well-rounded and have a lot of guys that have a lot of big stage experience.”
Hegarty’s goals for the season are simple. “My goal is just really to win a state championship,” explained Hegarty. “I feel that we have all the ingredients to do it, we just have to kick the door down.” He went on to add, “The college stuff is great, but that is something I really want to take care of for the school and the community.”
COMMENTS: Landing this Army All-American was a huge coup for the Irish. Hegarty’s high ranking is greatly deserved. He is a talented young player who is just tapping into his abilities. His off-season weight gains were encouraging. Hegarty is already up to 280 pounds, which is as big as Notre Dame’s current starter at left tackle. He is still deciding whether or not he will enroll early. Regardless, Hegarty is one of the best players in the country and is one of the foundational building blocks for what is turning out to be a terrific recruiting class. More importantly, after talking with Hegarty it is clear he is more than just a talented football player. He is a class kid and a lot of fun to talk to. He is going to be a fan favorite for the Irish faithful.
