‘Us against the world’: Tragedy bonded Boise State star Scott Matlock and his brother
It was 2016, and Steven Matlock — who was at the University of Idaho — had not seen his younger brother, Scott, in well over a year.
Steven decided to make a surprise visit, and timed it around one of the biggest games of his brother’s junior football season at Homedale High School: a playoff battle against Fruitland. He made the nearly six-hour trip from Moscow to Homedale, and he said that when he stepped onto the sideline during warmups, he could hardly believe his eyes.
His little brother wasn’t so little anymore.
“He looked like a freakin’ giant,” Steven Matlock told the Idaho Statesman recently. “This dude looked like he was 8 inches taller than everyone else on the field, and I’m like, ‘Yep, he’s got a shot to go places.’”
Boise State defensive tackle Scott Matlock is proving his brother right. He’s coming off a banner season and was just voted to the preseason All-Mountain West team this week.
Steven, who is five years older, was in the midst of his own college football career six years ago. The former offensive tackle at Capital High earned a scholarship from Idaho, where he moved to guard and then center, and landed on the preseason Rimington Award watch list in 2016. The award goes to the top center in college football.
But no matter how busy Steven was with class or practice, he said his thoughts never strayed too far from his little brother, who always wanted to tag along when they were young, even when it wasn’t convenient. The same little brother whose 6-foot-4, 305-pound frame makes him look even more like a giant as he prepares for his fifth season at Boise State.
“Scott always had a good heart, and he’s probably the most caring and loving guy I’ve ever known,” Steven Matlock said. “His work ethic is baffling, and I knew with the consistent work he’s been putting in the past couple years that something was going to pop. I couldn’t be more excited to see him ball out this year.”
Scott Matlock, who had career highs in sacks, tackles and tackles for loss last season, has a chance to hear his named called in the 2023 NFL Draft next April, but he said he’s not motivated by a possible NFL contract. He’s playing for his family name. As he put it, there aren’t many Matlocks left.
The Matlocks’ father, Doug, died of testicular cancer when Scott was 9 and Steven 14. Their mother, Lisa, died suddenly when Scott was just 13. He was forced to enter the foster care system just before eighth grade started, when Steven was away at college.
“It was us against the world,” Scott said. “With all we’ve been through, we’re mentally tough. We’re always swinging and never out of the fight.”
Steven did his best to set a good example for his younger brother but says he was far from perfect.
“It’s tough being a role model and father figure to a kid at such a pivotal age, especially when I was a teenager myself,” Steven said. “To this day, I probably haven’t fully emotionally processed everything that happened, but I’m so thankful I had to face that adversity because it made me who I am today, and it made Scott who he is today.”
Scott Matlock said he could always count on his big brother.
“I definitely look up to him and all that he was able to accomplish in school, football and life while taking care of me,” Scott said. “He was a good example and a great role model.”
Being separated was always tough for the Matlock brothers, but that’s not an issue now. Scott moved in with Steven and his wife, Melissa, a little more than a year ago, after spending four years living with teammates.
Scott said living together has been a healthy change for both brothers.
“It has been the best year of my life,” Steven said. “It’s been a true blessing to be able to reconnect in a way we hadn’t in years, and it’s surreal to see everything happening in such a positive way for him.”
One of the biggest positives of living together is also getting to train together, Steven said. Both brothers spend a lot of time in weight rooms.
After Steven’s playing career ended, he decided to give competitive bodybuilding a try. He got in the gym and leaned out — dropping from 288 pounds during his football career to 216, and cutting down to about 8 percent body fat in time for a show last June. He finished second in the class and fourth overall in physique.
He had to adhere to a strict diet and push cardio harder than he ever has in his life to lose all that weight, he said.
“I knew learning to live in an uncomfortable state was going to make me stand out and go further than anyone else,” Steven said. “I take pride in doing things nobody else wants to do. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s from my childhood and just how I’m wired, but I like a challenge.”
Scott said training with his brother has paid off, even if their goals in the gym don’t exactly align.
He’s focused on getting bigger and stronger for football season, and said he has put on about 15 pounds since last season. Steven is trying to stay lean, but Scott said his big brother still sets a great example in the gym.
“He’s super dedicated and disciplined,” Scott said. “A lot of people talk about being motivated to get in shape or get in the gym, but in reality it’s just discipline, and he understands that.”
Scott Matlock has shown impressive discipline himself at Boise State, coach Andy Avalos said. He had seven sacks and 41 tackles last season, when he was a second-team all-conference selection. He also received the most votes from his teammates to be part of the Broncos’ leadership council this year, Avalos said.
“Who Scott is today is way different than who he was a couple of years ago,” Avalos said. “He’s grown and thrived both on and off the field, and that’s going to continue.”
Scott practically lives in the weight room, but he isn’t planning to follow in his brother’s footsteps when it comes to competitive bodybuilding. He said he is, however, planning to soak up every second the two get to spend together in the gym.
“We try to spend as much time together as we can because we’re all we’ve got,” Scott Matlock said.
