Imagine a quarterback hurling a football through a wall. Pretty strong arm, eh?

Theoretically, that’s how strong Matt Hale’s arm is, said Harry Lumley, his high school coach.

‘He has an absolute cannon for an arm,’ Lumley said of Hale, who on Jan. 20 verbally committed to play at Syracuse. ‘People are going to be surprised out there when he comes out in August. They just have to play catch with him, and they’ll see.’

Along with his arm, SU recruited Hale, from Windsor, Ontario, for his size and speed. At 6 feet, 5 inches and 230 pounds, Hale is an imposing pocket presence. But he also moves around quickly, presenting an even bigger threat.

Hale shapes his game after former NFL quarterback Steve Young.

‘He could really move around in the pocket and make things happen,’ Hale said. ‘That’s something I like to bring to my game.’

Last season, Hale threw for 14 touchdowns and ran for five, despite not starting a game and usually only playing a half. Hale transferred for his senior year from Riverside High School to W.F. Herman, where two quarterbacks were already on the team. Lumley decided it would be unfair to start Hale ahead of the other two players.

Hale accepted the situation. After all, he transferred to Herman to increase his chances of playing Division I football.

‘My goal has always been to play Division I college football in the states,’ Hale said. ‘(Riverside) wasn’t that big of a school, and the coach wasn’t helping me all that much with recruiting. Herman High School is a step up and in a better division of football in Canada.’

At Herman, Hale found a guiding force in Lumley, who taught Hale better footwork and how to read defenses more efficiently.

For Lumley, preparing players for Division I football is nothing new. In 2001, Stanford signed Herman cornerback O.J. Atogwe. Also that year, Division I-AA Lafayette took linebacker Andrew Brown.

On the downside, Hale has to adapt to American football. He’s played what he calls ‘four-down football’ before, but he’s yet to play it at Division I speed. In Canadian high school football, teams play three downs.

Hale’s strong arm might be a little too strong on the narrower American fields, which are 50 yards wide, 15 yards shorter than Canadian fields.

‘On the shorter passes, I might at first be throwing them a little too hard,’ Hale said. ‘I’m going to have to put a little more touch on them.’

Lumley recently called Hale “a project.”

‘The only reason why I said he was a project was because of the different caliber of ball he will be playing,” Lumley said. “Once he learns — and he will because he’s a smart kid — people will see this kid is a real good talent.’

Playing Canadian high school football enabled Hale to read defenses better. For instance, more motion on the offensive side — receivers can move forward while the ball is being snapped — leads to the defense constantly adapting.

Still, Hale and his father, Philip, worry about Hale being too hyped up before games. Philip admits Hale can ‘out-psyche’ himself before a game.

‘(But) when he’s coached, he really listens,’ Philip said.

Though he’s 18 years old, Hale may have a head start on other SU recruits, because Canadian law requires students attend high school for five years.

Since SU linebackers coach Steve Dunlap recruited him, Hale has met three times at Syracuse with head coach Paul Pasqualoni.

‘I feel comfortable at Syracuse,’ Hale said. ‘You can tell Coach Pasqualoni is really into football and cares for his athletes. Both Coach (Pasqualoni) and Coach Dunlap are preparing me for the time that needs to be put in.’

Said Lumley: ‘This is a great pick for Syracuse, because hardly anybody knew about (Hale). He’s coming out of the best high school league in Canada, and if he grasps what’s going on, he can be unbelievable.’

Published on February 4, 2003 at 12:00 pm