ESM grad, Pittsburgh offensive lineman to enter NFL draft

University of Pittsburgh offensive lineman Matt Goncalves, of Manorville, graduated from Eastport-South Manor in 2019. Goncalves had a very successful college career and is entering the NFL draft this spring.

Tide: Talk about growing up in Manorville and playing football at Eastport-South Manor. 

Goncalves: It was a great experience for me. I had some great mentors, great coaches there. Overall, the football is not too great over on Long Island—not too many prospects that go D1, but made it work for me and my coaches and my family. Went to a bunch of camps and eventually ended up going to the Pittsburgh camp. They offered me the next day after they watched the tape and stuff like that, and basically the rest is history. So, I’ll always be grateful for Manorville and ESM.

Tide: I would imagine in high school there were many schools looking at you. Was there any reason in particular as to why you chose Pittsburgh?

Goncalves: They were my only power five offer, and like I said, the football’s not too great around there—not a lot of Power Five offers. I went to Pitt; they took a chance on me and ever since that Power Five offer, I just wanted to take it and run with it. And that’s why I chose it. They took a shot on me, and I really appreciated it.

Tide: Can you talk about what it means to represent the University of Pittsburgh?

Goncalves: It means the world. I wouldn’t want to represent any other school in the country. Just the pride, the passion, and the tradition that is set here at Pitt—it’s unlike any other school in the country. So to me, to be able to be a captain and to be able to lead this team and to have my name etched in Pitt football history forever, that means the world to me, and like I said, I wouldn’t want to play for any other school in the country because of the experience that I’ve had here and the football that I’ve played here and the people and the coaches that I’ve met. It means the absolute world to me.

Tide: There have been so many NFL legends that played football at Pitt: Mike Ditka, Chris Doleman, Tony Dorsett, Dan Marino, Curtis Martin, Darrelle Revis, Aaron Donald. What does it mean to have your name mentioned in the same sentence as some of those Hall of Famers?

Goncalves: I mean honestly, it’s kind of still a little bit surreal. Those guys are great, and I feel like I didn’t really live up to that expectation yet. I still have a long way to go in the NFL, and I hope that one day they can look back on my college career and maybe mention my name with some of those guys. Just from the pride and the passion that I’ve put in here at Pitt, and that was my goal since Day One walking into the doors, I’ve wanted to be among the names like Hugh Green and Dan Marino and Tony Dorsett. You know, I still got a lot of work to do. Those guys went onto the next level, and they represented their NFL team, but along the way they also represented Pitt, so [I] still have a lot of work to do and nothing is given to you.

Tide: You’re an offensive lineman and the O-line are the unsung heroes of football. They don’t have stats, but they really do everything on every play, whether it’s creating a hole for the running back or protecting the quarterback. Can you talk about how vital your position is?

Goncalves: I think it’s more valuable than people really recognize. Like you said, you don’t get the statistics or the fame and stuff like that, but I feel like the only real time an offensive lineman is recognized is when they do something bad—let up a sack or something—so the value of it deep down, I know how important it is to teams, and me and my coach have always talked here saying however the offensive line rides is how this team is going to ride, and I’ve always believed that because it all starts up front. Whether it’s the center starting the play and getting the block to open up a hole or throw the ball. I think it’s one of the biggest factors and keys to a successful football team. It starts up front, both sides.