Mattox finds the right fit

BeaverBlitz.com reported at the end of last week that Oregon State had added a commitment from defensive end Hunter Mattox. We spoke with him and got the inside scoop on why he made his choice.

The 6-foot-4, 255-pound Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon defensive lineman committed to Mike Riley's program on Friday for one main reason.

"Because it was comfortable," he said.

He had heard a lot about Oregon State going into the trip from a source inside the program that he trusts.

"I have a friend who goes there, Dashon Hunt, and I had talked to him about it," Mattox said. "He agreed it would be a good place for me. I talked to a lot of friends and family and they agreed. I hadn't seen the campus, though. When I did it just made sense to commit.

"Me and Dashon had talked a lot about it. He says it's a place where you'll be away from everybody else. It's a place where you can be yourself. You don't have to be someone you're not. They have an academic support system that they just made and he said that's a really good thing. I like that a lot," he continued.

"I also like to go hunter a lot and I'll be able to do that out there."

Mattox said he got to know Mark Banker the most out of any of the coaches on the staff, but once he met the entire staff he realized that he could get along with all of them well. Mattox had visited Corvallis on Thursday and committed the next day after he left town.

Last year at Sierra Canyon he had more than 20 tackles with seven sacks. Fresno State had also offered him.