Tarleton State University Athletics

Nobody knew who Matt Knicky was, much less what he would become.

He had previously made just six tackles all season.

But even in a season finale Tarleton State couldn't wait to forget - a 51-0 loss at West Texas A&M that cost the Texans a playoff spot in 2008 - there was a bright spot.

Knicky, then a true freshman who had converted from high school safety to college linebacker, made 10 tackles that November afternoon in Canyon, suggesting to Tarleton coaches that they may have stumbled upon a special player.

A year later, those suspicions were confirmed, as Knicky finished the 2009 season with a team-leading 98 tackles to help the Texans to a share of the Lone Star Conference championship, a run to the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs, and a No. 9 ranking in the final American Football Coaches Association poll.

He also snagged three interceptions last fall, broke up four more passes and tallied seven passes defensed to go with a pair of fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.

Fellow Texan linebacker Marcus Phillips stole much of the spotlight, earning LSC South Division Linebacker of the Year honors, while Knicky wasn't even voted to the second-team roster. He was instead relegated to the honorable-mention list.

"I don't care who got what as far as the post season awards, I knew who the best linebacker in the conference was last year," says Tarleton head coach Cary Fowler, who was the Texans' defensive coordinator in 2008 and 2009. "Not to take anything away from Marcus, but Matt played one less game and had one more tackle."

Phillips exhausted his eligibility last fall, but Knicky says he soaked up everything he could from the veteran standout while he had the chance.

"Marcus took me under his wing and helped me so much," Knicky says. "Without him around it's a lot different - I have a lot more responsibility. I want to take guys under my wing the way Marcus took me under his."

Linebackers coach Henry Coffer says Knicky is already excelling in his new leadership role as spring ball unfolds.

"Matt has such a good sense of leadership about him. He leads vocally, but he's also a leader by example," Coffer says. "He makes my job as a coach much easier."

Fowler couldn't agree more.

"Matt makes all our jobs easier because he prepares probably as hard as any coach we have," Fowler says.

Fowler was still at Midwestern State as defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator when he learned of Knicky from a friend in the coaching business.

"I got to be good friends with Chris Ross when he coached at Wichita Falls High School before he left for Cedar Park," Fowler says. "He called me up and told me he had a kid that could flat out play."

Ross had previously led Fowleer and Midwestern to prospects Rahsaan Bell and Jerome Jefferson, who both became all-conference players.

"When Chris tells me he has a guy who can play I know he means it," Fowler says. "He's 3-3 now. He's batting a thousand."

Knicky, was a two-time all-district safety at Cedar Park, tallying 80 tackles while picking off four passes and forcing three fumbles as a senior.

"We knew he was a 'tweener,'" said Fowler, referring to a player believed to be a step slow to play in the secondary and a little small to play linebacker. "He wasn't getting any Division I looks, and wouldn't really fit into a traditional 4-3 defense."

But Knicky fit perfectly in Fowler's 4-2-5 defense, which features a position called "backer" that is a hybrid between a defensive back and a linebacker.

"He's good enough in pass coverage to defend slot receivers, tight ends and running backs, and he's a good enough runner and tackler to play linebacker," Fowler says. "He was perfect for our defense."

Fowler left Midwestern for Tarleton in the spring of Knicky's senior year, and immediately made him one of his primary recruiting targets.

Two years later, Knicky, who will be a junior next season, couldn't be happier.

"I wasn't getting much recruiting attention. I was offered some partial scholarships and was invited to walk on at a few schools, but Tarleton made me the best offer," Knicky says. "Now I love it here - I love my coaches and teammates and the campus atmosphere is great."

In street clothes away from the field, Knicky doesn't exactly put off a "star player" type of vibe, which has earned him a nickname from Fowler and staff.

"He walks around in glasses looking like a normal kid," Fowler said. "Then he takes his disguise off and puts on the uniform and transforms completely. We call him Superman."

Knicky now has big goals not only for himself but for the Tarleton defense as a whole.

"We have some new faces on the defensive line, but their good players, and our secondary has some good guys returning," he says. "If we can get the entire defense in the right spots and on the same page there's no telling where we can go. We can be at least as good as we were last year, probably better."

Fowler agrees the defense could be even better than the 2009 group that finished third in the LSC in total defense and scoring defense, especially with Knicky leading the way.

"Every drill of every practice, Matt plays at game speed," Fowler says. "It makes the guys around him work harder, and that's what you look for in a leader.

"If I could find 100 Matt Knickys, I'd take every one of them," the head coach continues. "If every player on our football team matched his intensity, passion and emotion for the game, we would win the national championship."