Plum grad Max Matolcsy works way through ranks at Penn to earn more regular role on defense
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Max Matolcsy could have gone to any number of schools to play football. But the allure of an Ivy League education was too good to pass up for the Plum grad.
Matolcsy opted for Penn, where he enrolled in the prestigious Wharton School, established in 1881 as the world’s first school of business. Though he still has a semester-plus to go, the senior already has a job waiting for him at PNC in Pittsburgh.
Matolcsy has been able to play some Division I FCS football, too. And this season, he is seeing more time on the field than ever for the Quakers.
After appearing in only one game across his freshman and sophomore seasons, the 6-foot, 225-pound linebacker got regular duty on Penn’s special teams in 2023. He also played some defensive snaps.
This fall, he is appearing more regularly in the Quakers’ defensive lineup while still contributing on special teams. Through Penn’s Oct. 19 game against Columbia, Matolcsy had 11 total tackles, including one for loss.
“It’s honestly been even a better experience than I could have imagined,” Matolcsy said. “The support team here, not only the players that I play with, even all the teachers and the coaching staff and the tutors, it has just been a great overall experience.”
Getting more playing time certainly adds to that experience. Matolcsy’s 2024 season also includes his first collegiate start.
An injury in the linebacking corps thrust Matolcsy into the starting lineup Sept. 28 against Colgate. He contributed five assisted tackles as Penn earned a 27-17 victory.
A week earlier, he had a tackle for loss against Delaware. And two weeks ago, he even returned a kickoff as an up-man against Bucknell. He gained 7 yards.
“We have a great kick returner in Julien Stokes (Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Year in 2022),” Matolcsy said. “What typically happens after the first couple of games, opponents start to see how good he is at kick returns, so they start kicking it short.”
Matolcsy said he relishes his role on special teams, noting their importance to the game. That’s particularly true for Penn, given the Quakers’ penchant for playing close games. Only one of Penn’s Ivy League games in 2023 was decided by more than a touchdown. Three games went to overtime, including a 3OT marathon against Harvard, so every play counts.
The trend has continued this season. Heading into Friday’s game against Yale, the Quakers’ 0-2 Ivy League mark was the result of 3- and 6-point losses.
In Penn’s 23-17 loss to Columbia on Oct. 19, Matolcsy made a standout play in each of his roles.
After Penn pulled within 17-14, Columbia muffed the ensuing kickoff, and Matolcsy nearly tackled the ballcarrier for a safety, forcing Columbia to start on its own 2-yard line. The Lions were able to march down the field, and on first down from the Penn 20-yard line, quarterback Chase Goodwin hit Malcolm Terry II with a short pass. Matolcsy made what likely was a touchdown-saving tackle at the 8-yard line.
The Lions ended up settling for a field goal, and Penn was still in the game.
“He’s really kind of raised his game this year on the defensive side of the ball,” said linebackers coach Joe Dupont, who is in his 18th year on Penn’s staff and charged with recruiting the Pittsburgh area. “He has worked his way up through the scout teams, and other players look up to that. He’s owned his role, and I think that’s something that speaks highly to his character.”
His dedication on special teams helped to earn the start against Colgate. And while it was a moment he had worked tirelessly to achieve, it was a challenge nonetheless.
It made Matolcsy thankful for Penn’s state-of-the art kryo-therapy machine in the aftermath.
“It was definitely a different experience. The last time I played that many plays was in high school when I was playing both sides of the ball and special teams,” he said. “Going from playing 35-40 snaps a game with some special teams and linebacker to playing all 75 snaps in that game at linebacker was a big difference.
“I think I did decent for it being my first start. Obviously, there’s always stuff to improve on and learn. Just really tried to step up where I was needed and help the team, and it turned out good.”
Added Dupont: “He went in (at linebacker), and we really didn’t skip a beat defensively.”
Matolcsy’s football career is winding down. Only four more games remain, including the regular-season curtain-closer Nov. 23 at Princeton.
It is one of the oldest rivalries in college football, dating to 1876. Princeton won last year’s meeting 31-24, with Matolcsy accounting for three total tackles.
He is hoping to close his football career with a win before moving on to his professional career in capital markets.
The wisdom he gained in the halls of Wharton has prepared him well.
So, too, has his experience on the football field. Dupont is confident Matolcsy will continue to succeed the rest of this season and long after he hangs up his cleats.
“The thing that sets him apart is his work ethic,” Dupont said. “He’s always working to improve and set an example for his teammates.
“He’s the epitome of what we look to recruit in an Ivy League student-athlete. … He’s a very humble young man, but he’s driven. He’s a team player first. He’s the type of guy who has all those qualities that make him a great leader because he works so hard at it.”