Juneau will be one of the captains for Champlin this year.
Matthew Juneau, a 6-5, 279-pound tight end from Champlin Park (MN) High, is one of the state’s top seniors and would love the opportunity to follow in his father’s footsteps to play for Minnesota.
Gopher Hole caught up with Juneau to learn the more about his recruitment.
Gopher Hole: What camps did you get a chance to attend this summer?
Matthew Juneau: I went to the North Dakota one, the NDSU one and the Minnesota camp, the first one
Gopher Hole: How do you feel you performed at those camps?
Matthew Juneau: Good. I got “Elite Camper” at North Dakota State and the other two went well
Gopher Hole: You have an offer from North Dakota. Do you have any other offers right now?
Matthew Juneau: No. Not right now.
Gopher Hole: What are you hearing from the Gophers?
Matthew Juneau: Not a lot. I got invited out to practice though, so it is a start, but I am hoping that it will pick up a little bit more now that their season is going.
Gopher Hole: Besides the North Dakota offer, who else are you hearing from?
Matthew Juneau: North Dakota State, the U of M, Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Northern Illinois and Drake.
Gopher Hole: What do you feel that you need to show Division I schools that you can play at that level?
Matthew Juneau: I feel like I can show them my quickness (he runs a 4.9 40-yard dash), because I am a big guy, but I feel to play Division I, you have to be quick and you have to be fast. I am hoping to show that this fall.
Gopher Hole: Are most schools looking at you strictly as a tight end or would they look at you at a different position?
Matthew Juneau: Most of them are looking at tight end. A few are looking at tackle.
Gopher Hole: You ran a 4.9 40-yard dash. That is pretty good speed for a player your size, right?
Matthew Juneau: I have been lucky so far.
Gopher Hole: Do you think that because of your size, that based on maturing and eating and getting stronger that you would probably project to being more of an offensive lineman than a tight end down the road?
Matthew Juneau: I could definitely see it the way that I have been growing lately, but ideally, I would play tight end in college and not tackle.
Gopher Hole: What did you weight last season?
Matthew Juneau: I was about 255.
Gopher Hole: So you put on about 24 pounds, right?
Matthew Juneau: Yes, a lot of lifting.
Gopher Hole: You are a three-sport athlete, right?
Matthew Juneau: Yes, I play basketball and track (shot and discus).
Gopher Hole: Did you play any AAU basketball this summer?
Matthew Juneau: No, I didn’t play any.
Gopher Hole: What would it mean to play for the home state school
Matthew Juneau: It would just about be my dream because my dad (Tim) played there back when he was in college. To play at the same school as he did and hopefully the same position, would be a dream come true.
Gopher Hole: Are you planning on sending out some tape or highlight reels to some schools after your first couple games?
Matthew Juneau: Yes.
Gopher Hole: Have you thought about trying to visit some schools before the start of the season?
Matthew Juneau: I have. I am thinking about North Dakota and maybe Northern Iowa or Northern Illinois and any other schools that ask me to come out besides the U of M, because I can go there without taking an official visit.
Gopher Hole: What has your dad told you about the program?
Matthew Juneau: He said that it was a great program when he played. He played under Lou Holtz and he thinks that we are on the rise again, hopefully. I am hoping that it will work out this year for the Gophers and I’ll get a chance to play there next year.
Gopher Hole: Are you looking for a scholarship opportunity at Minnesota? Would you be open to a preferred walk-on?
Matthew Juneau: In a perfect world, I would like to get a scholarship, even if it a partial. If I was offered a preferred walk-on, I would consider it, but I am not positive, I’d take it.
Gopher Hole: Have you been invited to any college games? Have you talked to some coaches about trying to catch some games?
Matthew Juneau: I have been asked at a couple of places. Hopefully, I’ll get to the U of M, a Drake game and NDSU, possibly. I hope that works out for me.
Gopher Hole: Have you thought much about what you would like to major in at college?
Matthew Juneau: Yes. Sports medicine
Gopher Hole: What is your GPA?
Matthew Juneau: I have a 3.6.
Gopher Hole: Did you take the ACT or SAT?
Matthew Juneau: ACT. I got a 27 on it.
Gopher Hole: What would you like to do with that major down the road?
Matthew Juneau: I’d like to work with a sports team, if possible.
Gopher Hole: What do you see as your strengths as a football player?
Matthew Juneau: I’m big and I’ve got pretty good hands for a tight end. I think that I am a pretty good blocker.
Gopher Hole: What are some of the things that you are working on to continue to improve yourself as a player?
Matthew Juneau: My route running and my quickness. My speed off the ball.
Gopher Hole: What is going to be the main thing that makes you pick School A over School B or C?
Matthew Juneau: Academics will come number one. I want to make sure that the school has my major and I can take the right classes to get my degree. After that, it will probably be whether I have a football scholarship or not.
Gopher Hole: What are the expectations at Champlain Park this season?
Matthew Juneau: The papers don’t think that we are going to be very good, because we lost a lot of our guys, but over this summer, I thought that our team was doing really well with summer weightlifting and football stuff. I think that we are going to have a pretty good season.
Gopher Hole: You have a very tough schedule. In the Week 2, you play DeLaSalle, who is probably the top team in their class and you play some tough teams in your conference like Maple Grove, Blaine and Anoka and there aren’t any really easy games on your schedule. Do you think that playing a tough schedule helps you as a player?
Matthew Juneau: Yes. I think that it kind of helps me get ready for what is to come. Football is not an easy sport and I don’t expect any team that we play to be easy. I like that we have a tough schedule because it gets me up and gets me ready for the playoffs and sections.