Road To Glory
How Football changed my life — Matt Landers biography
Back in 2016 there was an article on me that talked about my commitment to UGA. When talked about in the article there was a lot of things said that caught my attention. They mentioned my junior year stats which was 30.8 yards per catch and 15 touchdowns in a season, they mentioned my relationship with UGA’s starting offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn, and they also talked my dad Toney Mack who played basketball here at UGA which they felt could’ve been a reason why I committed. But the one thing that stood out the most was a quote they put in article when I said, “Football keeps my head on right, before I started playing football, I was a bad kid. I didn’t want to go to school, and I didn’t want to listen to my mom. But after playing football, I knew It was something I wanted to do and would continue doing to keep my life on track. Football helped keep my grades right. I stopped hanging out late at night and I changed my group of friends.”
When I said this to the reporter, I wanted to give him an idea on how football changed my life. I wanted to give the audience a perception on how football got me back on track. I wanted them to know how I overcame all the doubt and hate that was being thrown toward me. I had to put a lot of time and effort towards school the same I did football my senior year of high school in order to get where I needed to be. Even though there were times where I didn’t want to do it, I had to put things to the side and make school my priority in order to take my talent and potential past high school. To be honest, football was the only thing keeping me out of trouble. I realized that the people that meant the most to me were depending on me and I couldn’t just let them down. I got tired of seeing my partners dying every couple of months, I got tired of seeing my homeboys in and out of jail, and I definitely got tired of seeing my mom struggle.
Transitioning from high school to college was a big challenge. I had to get used to the big campus, the hard coaching, and the fact that it takes much more than talent to be successful on the field. The college environment was just different, the campus was much bigger, there were more people, and bigger classes. The workouts were even way more serious and intense, we lifted a lot of heavy weight with our upper and lower body. But we also ran a lot. We had one Team Run on one of the hottest days imaginable, it had to have been at least 90–95 degrees out. But no matter how hard or hot it was everybody managed to push through it. I gained a lot of weight over the summer here at Georgia. Which came from putting the right stuff in my body to stay healthy. That was another thing that helped me when I came to college. I had to change the way I eat in order to perform at a high level on the field.
When fall camp started, that’s when everything started rolling. It was good on good straight competition for 3 weeks straight. Allowing everybody a chance to make plays. Even though I started off as a 3, I still worked hard and tried my best to move up on the depth chart. Towards the end of camp there were a lot of plays made by everybody and there were also a lot of missing assignments. I made a lot of plays but because of MA’s (missing assignments) and a lack of plays known, my time was cut short on the field causing me to become a redshirt. My Freshman season wasn’t what I was expecting. I didn’t play at all my freshman year, but I felt being on the offensive scout team, I got better mentally and physically because I had a chance to go against the starting defense every day. The role I had to take my freshman year took me some time getting used too. I didn’t want to mimic the opposing receiver, I felt like I should’ve been playing, but I couldn’t blame anybody but myself. Waiting is hard for me, so I had to realize that it’s not my time right now. That’s why I’m just staying humble, patiently waiting on my time to come.
I feel the future has a lot in hold for me, I’ve learned a lot about how college football is more like a business than anything. I’ve learned that sometimes you just have to wait your turn, and when your time does come you have to take advantage. In college your chances are limited. I’ve realized in order to be a great player you have to take care of things on and off the field. These past two years has helped me get a better understanding of college football and what it takes to be a great player. Attacking every work out and team run with the ambition to win is the way I will have to approach it. I want to be able to look back and say I really had fun and cherished every moment playing college football for the University of Georgia. I understand that sacrifices will have to made in order for me to succeed in the path I’m going. I’ve been told that I have been blessed with a talent that’s not given to everybody by my parents, my coaches, players, and sometimes people I don’t know. And I plan to use every bit of it. That’s why I try not get caught up in other people’s words, I like to keep my mind in a humble frame. I want to have a chance to show people what I can do on the field, it’s been a long time since I’ve caught a ball or held the ball in my hand on game day. I love football and the passion I have for it is deep. So, when my time comes, I plan to make the most of it.
