Signing day nears for Farniok
After leading Sioux Falls Washington to a state title his senior year, offensive lineman Matt Farniok played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and is now focused on making his final college decision. As the 6-foot-5, 319-pound Farniok hits the home stretch before signing day, we caught up with his head coach, Chad Stadem, to talk about his recruiting, what makes him such as highly sought after prospect, and much more.
Q: What type of player has Matt been for you?
STADEM: He is a hard working kid. He is mature and physical. He is tough and everything you want in a lineman that is for sure. He proved it this week (at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl) where he went against some of the best. He had a tough start early but by the end of the week was looking really good.
Q: What are his main strengths as a player?
STADEM: I think he is a team player. When he went to the bowl game, they brought in six tackle so they asked who would play guard. Matt said I'll play it. He had never played the right side of the line because he has always been a left tackle for us. He did something out of his nature because that is the type of kid he is. He had an opportunity and took advantage of it. That is the type of team player he is. You wouldn't ever know at our school that he is one of the top linemen in the nation. He doesn't draw attention to himself. He is just a great kid.
Q: What areas of his game is he working on?
STADEM: I think he is continuing to work on his strength. That is something he needs to get better at. He is getting a little quicker. He found going against better athletes that he has to clean up his footwork. As he gets to the college level, he knows that he has to continue to get better. He is focused on getting stronger.
Q: Where does he sit as of now recruiting wise?
STADEM: He has it narrowed down to those three Big Ten schools: Michigan State, Iowa, and Nebraska. Honestly he doesn't know. He wants to take the visits. Maybe he does know but he hasn’t said anything to me. He knows all three are good schools. They run pro-style offenses where they get down hill in blocking. He likes that. Now he wants to find the right fit.
Q: What schools were on him first?
STADEM: Iowa State was the first school to offer him as a freshmen. Iowa did right at the end of his sophomore year. A week later Nebraska was in. Michigan State came in a year ago at this time. Their quarterback coach, Brad Salem, is a Sioux Falls guy that has those ties.
Q: What has he been able to do visit wise so far?
STADEM: I think he went to Iowa a couple of times during the spring unofficially. He went to Nebraska. He made one official visit to Nebraska in December and has the other two coming up this month.
Q: Are any of the schools showing him more attention?
STADEM: They are all pretty much at the same level. I've pretty much been the middleman because it his decision.
Q: How have the Iowa coaches been in recruiting him?
STADEM: They have been very professional. Kirk Ferentz has come in and talked to the kids. I've developed a relationship with Reese Morgan. He has been here as much as he can. The other schools I have built a relationship with as well but Iowa has a great group of guys down there. There is a reason why they have been there that long because they have a lot of quality individuals.
Q: Where do you see him ending up position wise on the line?
STADEM: I think he can actually play any position. I think at the camp, he looked good playing right guard and is just a kid that can play any position. He can even snap the ball and has worked at that. Matt is a good fit wherever your team needs him. He is that type of kid. He it helps, he'll just do it.
Q: When will he make that final decision?
STADEM: I don't know. He wants to take those final visits and think about it for a few days. Knowing Matt, he won't make a big hoopla out of it. You won't see it on TV. Matt is not going to do that. He's a very down to Earth kid.
Q: What is he looking for on the visits that will help him decide?
STADEM: I don't know. That is up to Matt and something he can say. Only Matt knows that. I don't know what he is really looking for or if it is a make sure kind of deal. I think he knows that all three are quality schools and they all have what he needs. It is coming down to what he feels comfortable with personally. I don't know what that is.
Matt Farniok has official visits scheduled to Michigan State (January 15) and Iowa (January 22) this month. After completing those, he plans to decide among his three finalists: Iowa, Michigan State, and Nebraska. During the recruiting process, he also drew scholarship offers from Arizona State, California, Florida, Florida State, Iowa State, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Penn State, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Washington State, and Wisconsin.