Graham Shuler (78) leads Brentwood Academy onto the field for its 2011 season-opener.

Eagles line coach Mathews will be guest at Army All-American game

By CAROL STUART
Brentwood Home Page
Former Tennessee Titans offensive lineman Jason Mathews had special people mentor him over the years, such as current Titans coach Mike Munchak, and Brentwood Academy senior Graham Shuler feels the same away about Mathews, his line coach at BA.

Shuler, who is headed to Stanford University next fall, leaves on New Year’s Day to practice and play in the Army All-American Bowl national high school all-star game on Jan. 7 in San Antonio.

Graham Shuler

Even before resigning, departing BA head coach Ralph Potter had a speaking engagement, so Shuler invited Mathews to fly out at the bowl’s cost to watch the game and attend coaching clinics by NCAA and NFL coaches.

“I don't think i can understand how incredibly blessed I’ve been to have him in my life, and not just as a coach but as a mentor and a friend,” Shuler said about Coach Mathews. “Just the impact he’s had on me is unmatched.”

Mathews, who played in 145 NFL games and started 43 in his 11-year career, is one of several former Titans who have remained in the area and become a valuable part of the community. He began his teaching career at Montgomery Bell Academy after leaving the pro ranks following the 2004 season, then joined the BA staff toward the end of Shuler’s freshman year.

“Coach Mathews will be someone for the rest of my life I will go to for insight and just advice just on how to play and how to navigate different things through life,” Shuler said recently.

“He understands the aspects of everything that I face on a day-to-day, game-to-game basis, just preparing my body for that week for competition, the training that I need to do, the specific things I need to do to take my game to the next level.”

Shuler, who like Mathews is 6-5 and weighs a similar playing weight at 275, said the former Titan helps coach him on everything from pass sets to core workouts to strength his lower back.

“Every single thing that I put into my game is something that he's done that took him to the level he played at,” Shuler said.

“His experience at such a competitive level that he’s played at, he's seen everything. He’s seen every pass rush move, he’s blocked every pass rush move. He can tell me, ‘Hey, you need to be looking for his spin inside on this,’ -- the way he’s able to dissect and take apart what I do in my performance and coach me up on that is really just incredible.”

The two have even been working out during the Christmas break as Shuler has been preparing for what in many respects is his first college game, with rosters that feature 90 of the best high school players across the country. Shuler will play for the East squad as the only player from Middle Tennessee this year and the first player chosen for the game from BA.

“Graham asked if I would like to go with him and of course it would be an honor to go,” Mathews said. “I was never fortunate to play in this high school all-star game so I'm looking forward to getting down there and see this high school talent.”

A Texas native who played at Texas A&M, Mathews did play in the college all-star Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.

“The college game was really important to me, because it was the first time I got to play with somebody outside our conference per se,” Mathews said. “It's always a test to see what you've done at your level, whether your level is equal to everybody else's.

“As good as you think you are in Tennessee, when you play with somebody else, or as good as I thought it was in Texas, you play with somebody else from Florida or California, they have a little bit different skill. It was a confidence booster for me, and I’m sure it’ll be that way for Graham as well.”

Making most of opportunities as offensive lineman

While there are some fun opportunities built in, such as going to the Riverwalk and visiting a Six Flags theme park, Shuler said he’s down there for business.

“He's a rare combination of athletic world meets academic world,” Mathews said. “He's a smart kid, he works hard, and he's obviously going to great institution. He works equally as hard on the football field.

“He was not really given anything. He was big kid, but he’s had to earn every position he’s received.”

Jason Mathews

Mathews said he came from a high school mentality that considered “offensive line was fat guys where nobody else wanted to play, and they were least athletic.”

He said A&M head coach Mike Sherman, who just recently left the Aggies, and then Munchak, who Mathews watched play with the Oilers, helped teach him the technical aspects to the game. Munchak’s fellow Hall of Fame lineman Bruce Matthews, the current Titans O-line coach, also was a “phenomenal athlete” who BA’s Mathews was fortunate to play alongside.

“In my summer camp I laugh because you don't get a lot of kids who want to come play offensive line,” Mathews said. “But it is a very profitable skill if you're good at it. They’re one of the highest paid positions in the NFL. And obviously they have five positions given a scholarship whereas quarterbacks have one.

“It's a great place to send your kid if they’re big and they’re athletic.”

Shuler, whether he plays guard, tackle or center in the Army All-American Bowl, knows he will go against some really talented players at defensive end, tackle, nose guard and linebacker.

“It's the best players from all over the country,” the four-year BA starter said. “The competition is going to be extremely fierce, and that’s something I've been trying to prepare myself for. I’ve been training pretty hard these past several weeks especially.

“There's going to be a lot of big guys that have a lot of speed, and they've been the top dog wherever they've played.”

Shuler said he’s lucky to have been able to practice one-on-one the past five years with fellow Eagles lineman Woody Baron, a defensive standout who has committed to Virginia Tech and was also nominated for the Army All-American Bowl.

“When you play in high school, there’s one or two great players you go against,” Shuler said. “. . . It's going to be very, very competitive, there’s going to be no easy blocks or plays off or anything like that.”

While the week will be a “time to enjoy and celebrate how hard I’ve worked for these last several years” and there will be moments when the players are goofing off, Shuler said he would “rather make plays and win the game than just have a good time. I think that’ll be the thing that makes it the most memorable.”

War hero Wilson makes impact going Army bowl 

Shuler, meanwhile, feels extremely honored to be selected an honor in a game sponsored by the Army – especially after making it to watch the Hero’s Welcome motorcade which carried 2007 BA graduate and injured Army veteran Andrew Wilson home to Brentwood just before Christmas.

“I was blown away by the turnout in pouring down rain for all the people down there to support him, it was just inspiring,” Shuler said.

Earlier this year, the Brentwood Academy Class of 2012 had chosen the Wounded Warrior Project to be its senior mission recipient. The senior class raised thousands in selling T-shirts and baked goods with a Market Street Festival booth, did an Angel Tree-type Christmas with wounded veterans, and also donated gift cards to be given away at Thursday night’s Military Ball.

Shuler’s classmates are also designing and will sell Wounded Warrior Project sunglasses closer to spring and will also get more involved with the wounded veterans.

Shuler, who saw Wilson around BA when he was a middle-school student, said his own appearance in the Army All-American Bowl means even more because of Wilson, who lost both his legs in an IED explosion in Afghanistan in October.  

“For me I have so much respect for our service men and women and what they do, and just to have something hit so close to home with Andrew and his loss that he suffered,” the BA senior said.

“It's really tough for me to live in Brentwood and go to the private school I go to and be afforded all the incredible things I’m afforded, to understood the actuality of what is going on overseas and what has gone over there and what our service men and women undergo, but as much as i can, I try to appreciate that,” he said.

Although he didn’t have a real relationship with Wilson while at Brentwood Academy, he would do anything he could to help the injured soldier with his journey.

Shuler also said he hopes Wilson’s sacrifice “will be something that will hopefully fuel me to represent Brentwood and any way I can represent Brentwood Academy. And if I can do anything to represent him, that would be awesome.”