Sam congratulations on being named the 12th man can you take us back to the moment where you found out and how you found out from coach Fisher um yeah I remember being a team meeting um the whole team was there and he went through his normal Tuesday practice uh
Just motivating us telling us what the game plan is and uh you know he said he had another announcement we got a name of 12th man and right there my heart started beating a little bit I’ve worked hard to put myself hopefully on that list so you know obviously the
Opportunity was there and he read through the whole history of the 12th man going back to ikingo and um you know once he said Sam Matthews it was a surreal moment everybody in the room went crazy and uh you know it was breathtaking I couldn’t really I can’t
Really explain it in words it was I just wanted to stand up you know maybe call my mom call the family but it was great being there to celebrate with my teammates did you black out a little bit oh of course you know I can’t remember
All the details but I remember the good stuff Texas A M fan I’d say after leaving Harding go through the process of getting to the university to walk on do you have a favorite memory when you were growing up about Texas A M that made you fully engulfed in the
Culture here you know it goes back to the first time I came here 2009 uh somehow my dad scored three tickets so he brought me and my older brother and uh you know he he actually left and went and got drinks or something and that’s whenever they do the whole Aggie War him
And I was completely new to the culture I wasn’t a that you know engulfed into the a m culture but you know some some older Aggie fans started you know hunkering down right next to me and uh I was kind of taken off guard but you fell
In love with that kind of stuff you know the camaraderie the Brotherhood the community the talk man’s amazing and uh that’s really where it sparked my you know I bleed maroon that’s really where it sparked we’ll stay on the front road to go to Travis I think coach Fisher has talked about
The you decided to come back for one more year how much was why did you come back and and was it to try to get this 100 um you know I knew it was in Arms Reach and I worked very hard to you know hopefully put my name up there but I
Came back because I’m living the dream right now a lot of people you know wish they could be where I am and I don’t want to take it for granted I I had one more season well I had to work for one season I had to sign a waiver but you
Know I wouldn’t do I wanted to do everything I could to come back this has been the most amazing three years of my life and I wouldn’t trade it in for the world so that’s definitely what motivated me to come back we’ll go back behind the lights to TV row to Ben
Back over here Sam uh just what stands out to you most uh maybe a memory you’ll remember the most from that first game you know either leading the team on the field or just being able to you know hype up the student section with uh the weight of that number right no
Definitely leading the team on the field that’s watching every a m game coming to every a m game that’s been the most electric part of every game you know at the very beginning the music’s loud you know Smoke’s coming out everybody comes out and the crowd is electric it Roars
Unlike anything I’ve ever heard of and so being able to carry that flag and you know kind of personify the spirit of the 12th man on the field yeah I wanted to engage with him any chance I got whether it’s running down on kickoff and trying to get them pumped up
Um or you know waving the flag in front of the student section right after I ran out it was uh also surreal and so I definitely have to pick leading the team out as my favorite memory and then I saw Colin reached out to you uh on Twitter
But I I don’t know if uh if you if you’ve heard back from any other other former 12th men and I just want kind of that fraternity is like that group no of course um me and Gilly have had uh we’ve had a relationship on the side I’ve known him
For a little bit um chill reached out to me they’re all great guys and they all they all believe in what the 12th man stands for and they all love to see you know come to life uh every Saturday so I was glad that I was
Able to put on a show and it was extremely cool for Gillespie to reach out to me that was something that I wasn’t expecting but it was really cool any more questions for Sam uh we’ll go back behind the lights on the left side to Tyler it’s same I mean obviously with you
Being the 12th man but were there any other I guess differences that you felt from this season opener to you know other season openers here um you know any other difference I if you were there the game was crazy our offense special teams defense we were
All you know firing on all cylinders so as far as you know anything other than me being 12th man I feel like the team came out and we were really ready to play and it gets me excited for the rest of the season for sure um we got to
Throw in some young guys and and they made some plays and so it’s really good to see that um it definitely feels different in the locker room and it I think we proved that on Saturday so I’m looking forward to Miami what do you feel like you have
Done to kind of prepare yourself for for this moment you know be in the 12th man everything that I’ve done prepares me for this moment um it’s it’s been a bit it’s been a long road to get here and so um you know finally being the 12th man
And you know getting all the things that come the 12th man it makes the whole entire weight worth it you know sitting out for two years of not competing um for two full seasons and signing that waiver to you know find out that I finally I get another season to come
Back and hopefully be the 12th man yeah it makes it all worth it this was you know the climax of my whole entire career here and it’s just the beginning it was only week one so I still have a long season ahead of me and I’m I’m looking forward to you know hopefully
Leaving a legacy here we’ll go second row on the left side to Carter Sammy talk about the the waiver did you know like you were gonna come back like was it kind of a difficult process and when did you learn that you’d be eligible to come back so yeah
After the conclusion of last season it was it was always my plan to come back and I go talk to Marcos he’s the um he’s the kind of Eligibility guy he’s who I talked to I wanted to find out if I had one season or two more seasons the
Coveted rules are are very hard for me to understand I know Marco does a better job in understanding all that but I thought I was fine I was going to come back and play another season and there wasn’t going to be a hiccup but I go and
Talk to Marcos and we find out that I’m out of Eligibility last season was my last season of Eligibility um due to coveted rules and other stuff that got um you know messed around in there but you know we signed a waiver I was I was texting Marcos probably every day
Because my mom was texting me every day trying to get the answers but um you know I think it took over a month of me waiting we started at the beginning of fall camp and it took until after fall Camp ended for me to finally find out that the waiver was accepted or
Approved and um I was going to be able to come back so it was fall Camp was was tough it was draining both physically mentally and you know emotionally you’re out there practicing you don’t really know if you’re going to get a shot to come back you know if the NCAA comes
Back and declines my waiver then I just put in a lot of work for um you know ultimately nothing if I’m not going to be playing the season so um yeah that’s how I found out it was a roller coaster of emotions for sure but Marco is calling me in his office to
Tell me that um I got approved I definitely uh came to tears in there it was an emotional moment but you know I’m so glad that it happened I also want to ask you about special teams because I think you led the team in special Steve special team snaps last
Year I think you let them in if f grade in special teams what about it do you enjoy have you oh I know you were a high school quarterback I don’t know if you’re playing special teams back then but how do you become a good special
Teams player and what about it do you enjoy um being a walk-on here was everybody tells you special teams is a way to go and I I really bought into that I found a home on special teams and you know being the 12th man that tradition goes back uh you know back
Whenever they would put all Walk-Ons on special teams a bunch of guys that are really bought into what special teams means it can really change the game you know people that aren’t maybe that educated on football in general don’t understand the idea of special teams and
That the impact it can have on a game but you know I love the opportunity there’s a play to be made on every special team’s play and I just love the opportunity to fly down there and maybe be the one to make it oh yeah
We’ll go front row on the right side to Prime does it almost seem like a movie you’re tailgating with your buddies and Texas a m games right then you’re next thing you know in a couple years later you’re making tackles at Kyle Field just take us through that it’s definitely a movie
Um you know I never obviously I dreamed of playing on the field whenever I was tailgating and watching the um watching the games but it it didn’t go the road to being on the field and go exactly how I planned so obviously there were some times of Doubt whenever you think that
Maybe it’s not going to happen you know your dream’s too big maybe look for something else but um you know after covet and everything and I got able I got the opportunity to walk on Spring of 2021 um you know it’s a dream come true and I
Wanted to give everything I had to this team I tried on to be or I tried out to be a quarterback and uh concluding the uh walk on try outside a coach walk up to me and asked me if I’d be open to playing any other position I told him
I’d I just want to help the Aggies I want to be there wherever you need me I’m willing to you know give it all so they put me on special teams and you know my role’s grown from there and who knows maybe I’ll get some defensive snaps later but it’s definitely been a
Movie maybe we should talk to somebody about getting that in the woods yeah I still wouldn’t like the way you think and you also have you’re kind of your buddies to think too because didn’t they encourage you 100 percent yes I I don’t think I could have done this without my support system
Um you know my family my mom my dad Austin Emily Faith they’ve pushed me in every way and they’ve sacrificed so much for me to be in the spot that I am so I’m happy to you know make them proud and my friends too man my friends uh
They pushed me in every single way so yeah I’m glad to be in the spot room we’ll go fifth row on the left side and then to Rob so as a member of the 12th man or as the 12th man you’re supposed to represent the student body what has been the
Feedback been like from the student body itself like when you made that first play on special teams oh yes um it’s been so surreal engaging with the 12th man you know them being able to interact with me I know I resemble them on the field so I do everything I can to
Try and get them involved in the game you know get a little noise but um that was amazing my tackle on my solo tackle on punt just hearing the crowd Roar um you know the announcer is talking about that’s your 12th man Sam Matthews vets it’s a dream come true and so the
12th man being there to you know engage in me support me um I’m gonna do I’m gonna give everything I can to them and The Season’s gonna be a long one and I hope we could put on a show for him all year we’ll stay on the left side fourth row
To Rob and then wrap things up with cease howdy Sam all right so you mentioned Mom can you share with us this the story about when he told Mom that that you’d been named the 12th man um yeah it was uh we were waiting for a while obviously um I didn’t really know
When the announcement would come but my mom’s been bugging me the entire time about you know when they’re gonna name itself man so um after it happened you know obviously I’m celebrating with all my teammates and everything but I wanted to get outside and call my mom
Yeah I wanted to get outside and tell my mom she’s a she’s been a rock for me she’s sacrificed so much for me you know my dad was a marine so you know he he was out on um tours and obviously you know the the military life maybe they
Wake up early and they come home late and my mom did a great job at raising four kids so yeah it was um it made everything worth it being able to call her and you know you’re her talk to me and supported me during that time
We’ll wrap things up front row on the left side with cease how many times do people ask you are you related to other Matthews and then uh do you go ahead do you know those guys a lot do you laugh or what I assume that’s happened a few times of course no that’s
My blood brother right there I’m kidding no Jacoby Matthews he’s the only guy is he the only I think he might be the second person I’ve ever met with uh the last name Matthew spelled with one t you know they mess it up on everything that I get from here so I’m
Hoping maybe they can start spelling it right but uh no we always joke around we need to get some pictures this year but he’s a stud and uh you know I love what he brings to the table and I love the just the brother the Brotherhood that we
Have you know we we recognize it what it is that not a lot of people share our last name so you know we really try to you know bring some pride to the people that wear that last name on their jerseys and
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