Matt Marek knows his history when it comes to the subject of Sandburg offensive linemen who played in the Big Ten.
The Indiana recruit is following in the footsteps of Michael Schofield, who went to Michigan and enjoyed a 10-year NFL career before retiring after the 2023 season, and Dan Feeney, who went to Indiana, has been in the NFL since 2017 and now is in the Minnesota Vikings’ camp.
The 6-foot-4, 300-pound Marek would love to take a similar path to the NFL.
“That’s what I want to do,” Marek said of landing in the NFL. “We’ll see how it plays out in college, but that’s the end goal.”
Schofield, who won a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos in 2016, is an assistant coach for the Sandburg, which is ranked No. 9 in the Daily Southtown’s preseason rankings.
Schofield sees Marek every day in practice and likes his potential.
“He’s smart,” Schofield said of Marek. “He knows what everyone needs to be doing and how to do it. He’s a guy we don’t have to worry about. He does all the right things all the time. He’s one of our strongest kids on the team.
“He’s the exact type of kid you want playing on the offensive line.”
Marek appreciates having a mentor with recent NFL experience teaching him the finer points of the game.
“He taught me a lot about footwork stuff and hand placement,” Marek said of Schofield. “It’s easy to relate to him because he’s more of a current player. He knows how we think. He puts things in ways that we can understand.
“Even when I was watching him on TV, I would always watch his footwork.”
Few could have guessed when Marek walked through Sandburg’s doors as a freshman that he would be leaving with a football scholarship to a Big Ten school.
Even though his dad, David, played football for Oak Lawn, Matt didn’t take up the sport until he got to Sandburg. He played baseball and basketball in grade school.
Marek thought he would make a pretty good tight end, but the Sandburg coaches scratched that idea and put him on the line as a guard for the sophomore team. He then took some lumps on varsity as a sophomore but has been stellar ever since.
“Being athletic helped a lot,” Marek said. “I was more athletic than just big.”
“For a big guy, he’s very athletic and he moves really well,” Sandburg coach Troy McAllister said. “When you combine that with strength and technique, it makes for an asset on the offensive line. He’s someone who can not only make the difference at the high school level but can project to high-level college football.”
McAllister is impressed with what a quick study Marek has become despite not playing football before high school.
“This will be his third year on the varsity, and that’s been big in his development,” McAllister said of Marek. “He struggled as a sophomore, but you could see him getting better and better.
“After an offseason of development, last year he kept getting better and now you have that finished high school product that is pretty good.”
Indiana went through massive coaching changes during the offseason as new coach Curt Cignetti cleaned house with the previous coaching staff. He kept offensive line assistant Bob Bostad, who had been in contact with Marek throughout the recruiting process.
Marek verbally accepted the Hoosiers’ offer in late January.
Interestingly, Schofield has lost 60 pounds since retiring in from the NFL in January. Marek, meanwhile, has gained 100 pounds in his four years in high school.
“It’s hard — you have to eat a lot,” Marek said. “I would eat two lunches and was constantly eating. But lifting helps the most. It’s constantly eating and lifting.”
Team: Sandburg.
2023 record: 6-4.
Offensive leaders: Anthony Shelton, senior, quarterback; Charlie Snoreck, senior, wide receiver, Luke Basiorka, junior, running back; Matt Marek, senior, offensive lineman.
Defensive leaders: Jaden Weaver, junior, defensive end; Ryan Ward, senior, safety; Evan Benos, senior, defensive tackle; Will Whittam, senior, linebacker.
X-factor: Quinn Durkin, sophomore, running back/defensive back.
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
