BOISE, Idaho — Legendary Trojan and NFL defensive lineman Scott Matlock is set to be immortalized in Homedale history after the high school announced plans to retire his No. 44 jersey.
The former Boise State standout is being celebrated at 12 p.m. on Thursday, July 18, during the Trojans' final football camp scrimmages at Deward Bell Stadium. Head coach Matt Holtry said Homedale plans to hang Matlock's jersey in a shadow box inside its fieldhouse.
Before becoming the No. 99 brand in Boise and Los Angeles, Matlock shined in Idaho's 3A classification as a tight end and two-way lineman, a skillset showcased with a pair of touchdown grabs as a Bronco.
He earned All-Idaho accolades as an offensive lineman and landed on the All-Snake River Valley Conference first team on defense and as a tight end. The same 2017 campaign saw Matlock tally 57 tackles and five sacks, paired with 22 receptions for 330 yards and five touchdowns on offense.
Matlock was a three-star prospect and the No. 11 ranked player in Idaho in the 2018 class on 247Sports. He received offers from Boise State, Idaho, Idaho State and Weber State, overcoming waves of adversity to become an FBS scholarship player.
The Boise native lost his father to cancer at 9 years old and his mother died of heart disease a few years later while his older brother was attending the University of Idaho. Matlock was taken in by Mike and Donna Marose, who later adopted him, and enrolled at Homedale High School.
On April 29, 2023, the Bronco alum's story of determination grew greater. Matlock was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers with the 200th overall pick in the sixth round of the NFL Draft. He was the first Boise State defensive tackle to be drafted since Billy Winn in 2012.
Matlock was a two-time second team All-Mountain West selection, finishing his career on The Blue with 115 total tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks and three blocked kicks. The 6-foot-4, 300-pound lineman had a career-high 49 tackles in 2022 and a team-high 8.5 tackles for loss in 2021.
In his rookie season, Matlock played in 12 games, posted 15 total tackles and logged 266 defensive and 94 special teams snaps. He had more than 30 snaps in each of the Chargers' final two games of the season.
The pride of Homedale recently earned praise from Los Angeles head coach Jim Harbaugh, something that's happened "multiple times" during media availabilities this offseason, the Chargers reported.
"He's just all about his business, all about the work, all about the team," Harbaugh said. "A lot of what he does, like a lot of leaders, it's not about what they say, it's about what they do. What you do speaks so loudly that you can't even hear what you're saying."
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