Bryan Mattison ’08 Health and Sport Studies
Hometown: Mishawaka, Indiana

Bryan Mattison knows football.

His dad, Greg Mattison, was a coach at the University of Notre Dame while Bryan was playing high school football, and Bryan has watched his dad coach for some of the nation’s other powerhouse college teams, like the University of Florida, Texas A&M University, and the University of Michigan.

That made the University of Iowa’s recruiting job a little different when it came to Bryan, who was being pursued by some 25 teams nationwide. So the fact that Bryan committed to the Hawkeyes after just one visit to Iowa City on junior day speaks volumes about the UI program. He didn’t even come for an official visit—the first time he’d ever been in Kinnick Stadium was in uniform, on the sideline for his first game.

“I know that football is more than just Saturdays,” Bryan says. “I’ve been around football all my life, so the game-day atmosphere wasn’t all I cared about. The academics and coaches are what made my decision. Coach Ferentz and his staff are not just respected in football, they’re good people.”

Of course, the Kinnick Stadium environment on a football Saturday was no letdown, either. “I knew the UI had good fans,” Bryan says, “but I didn’t know they were that good. It’s easy to come out and play for the Iowa crowd.”

He’s been impressed by the way Hawkeye fans always stick by their team, even during a tough season. And he’s well aware of the financial support that benefits him and his teammates, from major scholarship gifts to annual I-Club support.

“The fans here are loyal and supportive, and that means a lot,” Bryan, the recipient of a full-ride, out-of-state scholarship, points out. “I know when I leave, I’ll join the I-Club right away.”

Bryan enjoys exploring the psychology and ethics of athletics as a health and sport studies major, and in his junior year maintained a 3.86 grade point average. He plans to coach college football, after exploring his playing options in the NFL.

And with the experience he’ll have to show—as one of the nation’s top high school players, a starting defensive end for the Iowa Hawkeyes, a UI graduate, and the son of a highly successful college coach—one has a hunch Bryan will be a coach to watch in the decades to come.

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