Matthew Slater plays as a wide receiver for the New England Patriots and is considered one of the best in his role
Slater participated in college football at UCLA, where he was named to the first team All-Pac-10. In the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft, the Patriots selected Slater to play for their club. Slater is widely regarded as one of the best gunners in NFL history.
What college did Matthew Slater go to?
Matthew Slater was a student at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Slater played football for the Bruins while studying political science and history.
He suffered a turf toe injury as a freshman and had to sit out the season. Slater played in 2004 as a sophomore freshman and saw action in contests against Illinois, Arizona, and Stanford.
He was a backup wide receiver as a sophomore in 2005. He had to sit out the first three games with a stress fracture in his left leg. He was active for two contests but did not record any catches.
Slater played defense in two of his 13 games that year (against Washington and Arizona). He was especially effective in kick coverage, where he helped limit kick return yards by delivering punishing hits to kick returners.
He had nine tackles on the year, six of which were solo efforts. Slater started 13 games and recorded 25 tackles as a senior in 2007. For the Bruins, he was also a key contributor on kickoff returns.
He tied for the national lead in kickoff returns with 34, averaging 29 yards per return, and scoring three times. He matched Anthony Davis’s 1974 record for most points in a Pac-10 season.
His average kickoff return of 29.00 yards ranked first in the Pac-10 and 12th in the nation. As a kick returner, he was named to the Pac 10 all-first team. And with 986 yards on kickoff returns, he set a new UCLA single-season record.