Long before Matthias Farley even considered playing football, he was a standout player on the soccer pitch.
“I played soccer my whole life, all the way through,” noted Farley. “I started in the first grade and played all the way up.”
So how did the gifted athlete from Charlotte, North Carolina end up committing to Notre Dame on a football scholarship?
“When I got into high school, the refs just said that I was too rough,” said Farley. “I played forward, I would be chasing fifty/fifty balls, and I would get yellow carded or red carded for being physical.”
“I got tired of playing high school soccer, where I couldn’t touch anybody without getting carded,” said the ESPN three-star defensive back prospect. “I wanted to play a sport where I was applauded for hitting somebody. Plus, our football team kept going to state where as our soccer team wasn’t overly good.”
And so began Matthias Farley’s venture into playing organized football.
“I loved it,” said the Carolina speedster “I could run and hit people at the same time.”
For the football coaching staff at Charlotte Christian School, Farley’s decision to switch from soccer to football was long overdue.
“They were always saying 'common Farley, play football, common just come try it,'” laughed the future Irish corner.
Farley’s frustration with the lack of physicality in soccer, combined with the insistence of the football coaches, finally caused him to make the leap.
“Last year was my first year (playing football). I had a lot to learn, but I think I played pretty well,” insisted Farley when asked about his lack of experience playing the game. “It came pretty naturally to me.”
With year one in the books, Farley is looking forward to the upcoming season.
“We are done conditioning now and two-a-days are over,” he said. “We got at it early this year; we were practicing by June, 1st.”
“We lost in the state final last season, and we lost quite a few players to graduation, but this is a different team. We don’t have the big bodies that we had last year but we are faster. We have a bunch of fast, quick guys.”
Farley attributes the added quickness to some pro-coaching his team received this off-season.
“We worked out four days a week,” said Farley. “We got to work with Carolina Panther speed coach, Jeremy Boone.”
What was it like working with a professional?
“It was awesome,” said Farley, the reigning North Carolina high school100-meter track and field champion. “Not many kids get a chance to work with a guy like that. He worked with us on small stuff, like getting into a groove, and getting out of breaks."
The former soccer player also added some weight to his athletic frame this off season.
“I’m up to 6-foot-1, 195-pounds at this point,” noted Farley. “I’ve also been working on footwork and getting into a groove on the field, things like that”
Players that don’t have a lot of experience in a given sport often find it hard to emerge as a team leader, but Farley feels that there is room for multiple types of leadership on his team.
“I’m not the crazy loud kid or anything like that. I try to lead by example,' explained Farley. “I try to encourage people. I don’t scream and yell. I just do what I do.”
While Farley is committed to playing football, he also plans to continue working on his speed by competing in track and field.
“I’ll probably run track again this year,” said the multi-sport athlete. “Last year I ran 11.1 (seconds) in the 100 meters, and I won state. I would love to get under eleven seconds this year.”
Farley keeps in contact with the Notre Dame coaching staff, especially his regional recruiter.
“My primary recruiter is Coach (Mike) Elston, and he’s the man,” said Farley “I actually like the entire coaching staff. The coaches are the major reason that I committed to Notre Dame. They’re all good guys.”
The North Carolina product also keeps in contact with a North Carolinian already enrolled at Notre Dame.
“I talk to Prince Shembo a lot,” said Farley. “He told me that summer school is tough, but that if you work hard you can get through it. I talk to him probably once or twice a week.”
Farley plans to take an official visit to Notre Dame this fall.
“I hope to go up there when they play Standford. That’s our bye week,” noted Farley. “I don’t think I’m going to take any other visits.”
