When any player goes down with a significant injury, there are plenty of questions about their playing future. Four-star offensive lineman Matt Bockhorst is not just any player, however.

Bockhorst injured his ACL before his senior season, his final year before becoming a Clemson Tiger.

Bockhorst’s coach, Steve Specht, has coached many big-time recruits over the years, leading St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio) to multiple state championships. Specht believes that Bockhorst possesses all of the qualities of a proven winner.

“I think Matt’s going to be a great addition to Clemson,” he said. “He’s explosive, he’s powerful, he’s smart as a whip. He’s a 4.0 student.”

What sets Bockhorst apart from the rest, according to Specht, is that he is not just any ordinary player.

“Matt’s the kind of guy you love to coach because he was different than most high school kids in that he wasn’t going to accept anything but his best and he wasn’t going to accept anything but your best,” Specht said. “So Matt was a guy you could push, you could drive him, you could get on him really hard. I’d yell at him and he’d get angry and want to do better. Matt always pushed to prove you wrong.”

These are qualities that cannot be taught, and helped him push through his season-ending injury, especially watching his team win the state championship. Sidelined, Specht said that Bockhorst still helped his team to the best of his ability.

“He was able to lead with his presence, just by being there,” he said. “He leads and the kids gravitate toward him.”

Although he missed his senior season and the experience and practice that comes with it, Specht believes that Bockhorst’s injury, while unfortunate, actually helped him.

“You’re always trying to do things to try and help kids learn to deal with adversity, and Matt did a nice job with that,” Specht said. “He had his days where the world was falling in on him but for the most part he handled himself well, he gave encouragement to his teammates and he led the best way he could.”

While Specht is sad to see a player that he holds in such high esteem go, he is excited about where he is going.

“I am a fan of wherever my kids go…you’ve got a huge fan of Clemson in Cincinnati, Ohio, and it doesn’t have anything to do with their national title,” he said. “It has everything to do with one of my guys suiting up for them.”

Specht summed up Bockhorst in a nutshell that Clemson fans will love to hear.

“Clemson’s getting a great one, let’s just say that,” he said.

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