2021 Football Roster
Matt Shotwell
- Height:
- 6-0
- Weight:
- 230
- Class:
- Redshirt Senior
- Hometown:
- Goleta, CA
- High School:
- Bishop Diego HS
Listed No. 1 on preseason depth chart at Will linebacker at Cal Poly this fall after playing at the Sam spot in 2019 ... named to Phil Steele's 2021 All-Big Sky Preseason All-Conference second team.
2020 (Spring 2021) -- Cal Poly's leading tackler for third straight year, making 34 stops (18 solo) ... one tackle for lost yardage versus UC Davis and also recovered a fumble by the Aggies ... season-high 14 tackles at Eastern Washington and made 11 more stops versus UC Davis ... enters final season with 217 career tackles, No. 17 on Cal Poly's career charts.
2019 -- Cal Poly's leader in tackles for the second straight year with 89 total stops (57 solo) ... 7.5 tackles for lost yardage ... also intercepted a pair of passes, broke up two others and notched a forced fumble (Weber State) ... first interception was in season opener versus San Diego while his second theft sealed the season-ending victory at Northern Colorado with 11 seconds to play ... season-high 13 tackles against North Dakota ... also had 11 stops versus Idaho and 10 more at Weber State ... named team's most valuable defensive player and landed on All-Big Sky Conference third team ... enters final season as a Mustang with eight games of double-digit tackles ... 2.5 tackles for lost yardage at Southern Utah.
2018 -- Played in 10 of the 11 games with nine starts as a sophomore at Sam linebacker, missing only the Montana State contest ... led the Mustang defense with 90 total tackles, including 57 solo stops en route to Big Sky Conference honorable mention praise ... also named team's most valuable defensive lineman/linebacker ... career-high 16 tackles (nine solo, seven assisted) in season finale versus Southern Utah ... also made 11 stops against Brown, Eastern Washington and Northern Arizona and 10 more versus Weber State ... 5.5 tackles for lost yardage, including two against both Brown and Southern Utah ... notched sacks against Brown and Eastern Washington ... forced one fumble versus UC Davis and recovered another fumble against North Dakota State ... intercepted a pass at Sacramento State, broke up four other passes and had a pair of quarterback hurries, both against Brown ... two tackles for lost yardage in 2019 Spring Game.
2017 -- Played in nine games as a backup outside linebacker during redshirt freshman season ... notched four assisted tackles, including two special teams stops against UC Davis and one each versus Northern Iowa and Northern Colorado ... made three tackles in 2018 Spring Game.
2016 -- Redshirt ... named Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year ... four tackles in 2017 Spring Game.
High School -- In 13 games as a senior under head coach Tom Crawford at Bishop Diego High School, Shotwell made 176 tackles (124 solo), including a career-high 20 stops against Righetti ... his dozen double-digit tackle games also included 17 each against Cabrillo and View Park ... the fourth Shotwell to play football at Cal Poly, Matt also notched two sacks, one pass breakup and recovered three fumbles, one for a touchdown against Palmdale ... also threw a touchdown pass in the Palmdale game ... as a fullback on offense, rushed for 158 yards and four touchdowns while also catching 27 passes for 412 yards and six scores ... Bishop Diego was 12-1 in 2015, winning the Tri-Valley League title and reaching the semifinals of the CIF-Southern Section Northern Division playoffs ... was named Tri-Valley League Defensive Player of the Year and earned first-team All-CIF-Southern Section Northern Division and first-team all-state small schools (CalHiSports) honors ... also was named all-city and all-county as well as Presidio Sports City Defensive Player of the Year ... earned first-team All-Tri-Valley League honors as a junior and also was named Santa Barbara city and county defensive MVP ... also was a career .265 hitter on the Cardinals' baseball team, knocking in 31 runs in 66 games ... lettered in soccer as a senior and basketball as a freshman.
Personal -- Son of Steve and Cindy Shotwell ... three brothers, Kyle, Ryan and Troy ... oldest brother, Kyle, won the Buck Buchanan Award as the defensive player of the year in the Football Championship Subdivision in 2006 ... Ryan (defensive end) and Troy (defensive line) also played football at Cal Poly ... wants to be the chief of police in Santa Barbara ... enjoys wakeboarding and tennis ... claims to be able to "juggle for a solid three seconds" ... also can cut an onion without crying and knows how to fold a fitted sheet "which I am most proud of" ... member of Football Bible Study ... born in Santa Barbara, Calif. ... majoring in sociology with a concentration on criminal justice.
