Matt Leo

Matthew Leo[1] (born 8 May 1992) is an Australian former American football defensive end and coach who is a defensive and football operations assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa State and spent three seasons with the Eagles as a player, joining them through the International Player Pathway Program (IPPP).

Matt Leo
No. 66 – Philadelphia Eagles
Position:Defensive / football operations assistant
Personal information
Born: (1992-05-08) 8 May 1992
Adelaide, South Australia
Height:6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Weight:280 lb (127 kg)
Career information
High school:St Michael’s College
College:Iowa State
CFL Draft:2021G / Round: 4 / Pick: 35
Undrafted:2020
Career history
As a player:
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
As a coach:
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early life and education

Matthew Leo was born on 8 May 1992 in Adelaide, South Australia,[2][3] and raised in the suburb of Semaphore. He played Australian rules football for St Michael's College, Adelaide, in year 10.[4] However his passion was rugby league and he played for a club in Adelaide.[5]

He worked as a plumber before playing American football professionally.[6][7][8] He went to college at Arizona Western College[9] before going to Iowa State, making his debut at the age of 26.[10][8] He was a medical redshirt in 2017.[11][12][13] He had 33 tackles and 3 sacks in his college football career.[14][8] He was named first-team Academic All-Big 12 in 2019.[15]

Professional career

On 27 April 2020, Leo was allocated to the Philadelphia Eagles as part of the International Player Pathway Program.[16][17][18][19][20] He was waived during final roster cuts on 4 September 2020,[21] and signed to the practice squad under an international player exemption two days later.[22][23] He signed a reserve/future contract with the team after the season on 4 January 2021.[24]

Leo was selected by the Edmonton Elks in the fourth round (35th overall) of the 2021 CFL Global Draft in April 2021.[25] On 4 May 2021, he was given an NFL roster exemption as an international player for a second season.[26]

On 31 August 2021, Leo was waived by the Eagles and re-signed to the practice squad the next day.[27][28] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Eagles on 18 January 2022.[29]

On 30 August 2022, Leo was waived by the Eagles and signed to the practice squad the next day.[30][31]

On 25 July, 2023, Leo announced his retirement from the NFL.[32] Soon after, he was hired as a defensive and football operations assistant on the coaching staff.[33]

References
  1. "Matthew Leo". ESPN.com. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  2. "How 'Friday Night Lights' helped pave the way for Matt Leo to join the Philadelphia Eagles". pennlive. 30 April 2020.
  3. "Matt Leo Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  4. Matt Leo Eagles Profile
  5. Adelaide rugby league tragic becomes next Aussie in NFL Pathway Program following Jordan Mailata, Valentine Holmes by Melanie Dinjaski for Nine.com.au 6 February 2020
  6. "Matt Leo joins surprisingly long line of Philadelphia Eagles from Australia". 16 May 2020.
  7. Bowen, Les (6 May 2020). "He's gone from Australian plumber's apprentice to Eagles signee, but Matt Leo is just getting started". www.inquirer.com.
  8. "From plumbing to clogging gaps, the incredible story of new Eagles DE Matt Leo". www.philadelphiaeagles.com.
  9. "From smoko to the big smoke: Matt Leo lands in Philly". ESPN.com. 8 May 2020.
  10. "How Matt Leo went from a plumber's apprentice to an NFL contract". www.sportingnews.com. 14 August 2021.
  11. McMullen, John. "Matt Leo Friday Night Lights Dream Reaches Eagles". Sports Illustrated Philadelphia Eagles News, Analysis and More.
  12. Birch, Tommy. "From plumber to promising playmaker: The story of Iowa State's Matt Leo". Des Moines Register.
  13. Gowton, Brandon Lee (29 June 2020). "Eagles Rookie Profile: 5 things to know about Matt Leo". Bleeding Green Nation.
  14. "Matt Leo shows just how much he's learned in senior season at Iowa State". www.thegazette.com.
  15. "Matt Leo's improbable journey from Aussie plumber to the NFL". ESPN.com. 7 June 2020.
  16. Grotz, Bob (30 April 2020). "Leo chasing his dream role with the Eagles". The Delaware County Daily Times.
  17. Call, Nick Fierro The Morning (7 May 2020). "Eagles' Australian connection gets stronger with Matt Leo". Press of Atlantic City.
  18. Apody, Jamie (1 May 2020). "Philadelphia Eagles sign rookie defensive end Matt Leo, a former plumber from Australia". 6abc Philadelphia.
  19. "Australian DE Matt Leo can thank Friday Night Lights for starting his football journey". RSN. 2 May 2020.
  20. "From plumbing to the Philadelphia Eagles: The remarkable journey of Australian DE Matt Leo". American Football International. 29 April 2020.
  21. McPherson, Chris (4 September 2020). "Eagles make five more roster moves". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  22. McPherson, Chris (6 September 2020). "Eagles announce practice squad that includes QB Josh McCown". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  23. "Aussie NFL rookie's unusual team bonding". wwos.nine.com.au.
  24. Erby, Glenn (4 January 2021). "Philadelphia Eagles sign 9 players to reserve/future contracts". USAToday.com. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  25. "2021 Global Draft Tracker". CFL.ca. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  26. "Four Players Added to 2021 Rosters Through International Player Pathway Program". NFL.com. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  27. McPherson, Chris (31 August 2021). "Eagles announce initial 53-man roster". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
  28. "Eagles agree to terms with 15 players to join the practice squad". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. 1 September 2021.
  29. McPherson, Chris (18 January 2022). "Eagles sign 11 players to Reserve/Futures contracts". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
  30. McPherson, Chris (30 August 2022). "Eagles announce initial 53-man roster". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
  31. McPherson, Chris (31 August 2022). "Eagles sign 15 players to the practice squad". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
  32. "Eagles' 31-year-old defensive end project decides to retire". NBC Sports. 25 July 2023.
  33. Hare, Jacob (7 August 2023). "Eagles Hire Newly-Retired DE To Coaching Staff". Sports Illustrated.
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