Clay Matthews III

William Clay Matthews III (born May 14, 1986) is an American former professional football linebacker who played in the National Football League for 10 seasons (NFL), primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Matthews is the all-time sack leader for the Packers (with 83.5), as well as a six-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time All-Pro. He was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in 2024.

After attending Agoura High School in Agoura Hills, California, Matthews was a walk-on student athlete at the University of Southern California for the USC Trojans football team under head coach Pete Carroll. At USC, Matthews was a standout special teams player, winning three consecutive Special Teams Player of the Year awards from 2006 to 2008. He also played reserve outside linebacker during those years before moving into a starting role his senior season. During his college career, Matthews was a part of three Pac-10 Championship teams.

Matthews was considered a top prospect for the 2009 NFL draft. He was ultimately selected by the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the draft (26th overall) after the team traded up to make the selection. As a rookie, Matthews recorded 10 sacks while playing outside linebacker. He topped that total in 2010 with 13.5 sacks, helping the Packers to their Super Bowl XLV victory. Matthews continued his role as a leading pass rusher, recording at least six sacks in the first nine seasons he played. Matthews also showed his athleticism and abilities by playing both inside and outside linebacker during the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

A member of the Matthews family of football players, he is the brother of former NFL linebacker Casey Matthews, the son of former NFL linebacker Clay Matthews Jr., and the nephew of Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive lineman Bruce Matthews.

Matthews was born in the Northridge section of Los Angeles, the son of Leslie and Clay Matthews Jr., a professional football player. The family has a history of professional football players. Matthews' grandfather was Clay Matthews Sr., his brother is linebacker Casey Matthews, and his uncle is Bruce Matthews. Matthews also has cousins involved in football: Kevin Matthews, Jake Matthews, and Mike Matthews. His two older brothers, Kyle and Brian, both members of National Championship teams during their time with USC Trojans football, work in the commercial real estate business in Tennessee and online sports gambling business in Ohio, respectively. His younger brother, Casey, played college football with Oregon Ducks football, making an appearance in a national championship game in the 2011 BCS National Championship Game. Casey played professionally for several seasons. His sister, Jennifer, is often featured on NFL Network where she discusses fantasy football.

Matthews attended Agoura High School in Agoura Hills, California, where he played for the Chargers. 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. Matthews 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 attended the University of Southern California and played for the Trojans from 2004 to 2008 under head coach Pete Carroll. Though he was the son of an All-Pro NFL linebacker, Matthews entered USC as an unheralded, walk-on student athlete. During his first season, USC's 2004 BCS National Championship, Matthews played only on the scout team and turned down several playing opportunities during garbage time during the fourth quarters of games to preserve his redshirt status and remaining seasons of NCAA eligibility. Matthews remained a nonathletic scholarship (a "walk on") reserve linebacker during the 2005 season and played mainly on special teams. He was granted full athletic scholarship status at the beginning of the 2006 season. Matthews continued to play reserve linebacker in the 2006 and 2007 seasons, and made two starts in 2007 in place of injured teammate Brian Cushing. He was awarded USC's Co-Special Teams Player of the Year in 2006 and 2007 and blocked two field goals in the later season.

During the offseason, Matthews committed to weight training and conditioning programs to gain size and improve his performance level and stamina. At the beginning of the 2008 season, defensive coordinator Nick Holt, Carroll, and Norton decided to try using Matthews in a hybrid "elephant" position, where Matthews would stand in the position of defensive end, but use the speed and tactics of a linebacker; the coaches had used Cushing in the position in a similar manner in 2006. The experiment was successful, as Matthews recorded 4.5 sacks while playing alongside his other NFL-bound teammates Brian Cushing, Rey Maualuga, and Kaluka Maiava. Furthermore, Matthews continued his spectacular special teams play and was awarded USC's Co-Special Teams Player of the Year in 2008, making Matthews the only player in USC history to be awarded three consecutive Special Teams Player of the Year awards. He was a participant in the 2009 Senior Bowl and was considered a top prospect for the 2009 NFL draft.