Former Gamecocks standout Matthews joins college coaching ranks at Limestone

GAFFNEY, S.C. – The Limestone College football team and head coach Brian Turk have announced the addition of Eric Fargo, former defensive coordinator at Kutztown University, and Cliff Matthews, a former standout defensive lineman at the University of South Carolina, to the coaching staff.

Fargo, who also spent four years on the staff at Temple University, will take over as the defensive coordinator with the Saints while Matthews, who was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 2011 and spent six years in the National Football League, will coach the defensive line for Limestone next season.

A Temple University graduate, Fargo joins the Saints after spending the past three years at Kutztown where he called the plays as the defensive coordinator during the 2018 campaign. He worked with the defensive line during his tenure with the Golden Bears and also served as the recruiting coordinator.

“Eric Fargo has done a tremendous job at each stop in his career, and is a hard-working, detail-oriented, professional coach,” said Turk. “He will make a huge impact with our team on the field, but most importantly off the field. I am thrilled to have him as a part of our staff.”

He mentored four All-PSAC linemen while at Kutztown while helping guide the program to two of its best defensive seasons in team history. The team led the PSAC and ranked fifth in NCAA Division II with 3.82 sacks per game in 2016 while the team’s 42 sacks were the second highest total in program history.

In 2017, Kutztown featured a defense that held opponents to 86.7 rushing yards, less than 200 passing yards, and 19.5 points per game. In his lone season as the defensive coordinator in 2018, the Golden Bears posted a 9-2 overall record with a 5-1 conference mark and qualified for the NCAA Tournament.

Prior to his time at Kutztown, Fargo spent four years on the staff at Temple as a student assistant and then as a graduate assistant coach. As an assistant working with the defensive unit, the Owls ranked in the top-25 nationally in multiple categories while he also helped with the development of Tyler Matakevich – a consensus All-American and the Bronko Nagurski and Chuck Bednarick Trophy Awards recipient.

“I am very grateful to Coach Turk for giving me and my family this opportunity to join the Limestone family,” said Fargo. “My number one job is to help these student-athletes. These young men are away from home, and I want to help them stay focused on their goals both in the classroom and on the field.”

“Our goal on defense at Limestone will be to play as a family,” he continued. ”The defenses that I have been a part of at Temple and Kutztown were successful because they played with high effort, discipline, and for their teammates.”

A two-year team captain with the Gamecocks, Matthews joins the Blue and Gold after serving as an assistant coach at Northview High School (Ga.) in 2018. Prior to his time at Northview, he enjoyed a seven-year professional playing career in both the NFL and the Canadian Football League.

“Cliff Matthews is someone I’ve known for a long time and always had tremendous respect for,” said Turk. “He has a huge heart for people and has always been a humble person, not allowing all he has accomplished to change that. Combine that with his career and experience, I think he will be a great example and mentor for our young men.”

Taken in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons, Matthews recorded 28 tackles in 28 career games. He was a part of the 2012 Falcons team that reached the NFC Championship Game and the 2016 squad that played in Super Bowl LI against the New England Patriots.

Matthews played all four years at South Carolina under former head coach Steve Spurrier, and was a three-time All-SEC selection and the team’s most valuable player as a senior. He led the SEC in fumble recoveries as a junior and ranked in the top-5 in both forced fumbles and sacks in 2009.

He was named to a number of watch lists prior to his senior year, including the Bronko Nagurski Award and the Ted Hendricks Award Watch Lists, before helping guide the Gamecocks to an SEC Championship Game appearance against eventual national champion Auburn during the 2010 campaign.

During his four years in Columbia, Matthews played in 51 games and posted 149 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 15.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles, and five fumbles recovered. Matthews, who earned Sporting News Freshman All-American honors in 2007, still ranks seventh in team history in career sacks.

“I am excited to be Limestone’s new defensive line coach,” said Matthews. “I look forward to working with the other coaches and the student-athletes, and can’t wait to get started. I have had some of the best coaches and mentors in college football, and I am committed to maximizing my opportunity to share that experience here at Limestone.”

Fargo graduated from Temple University with a Bachelor’s in Adult Organization and Development and a Master’s in Educational Leadership. Matthews graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice and Criminology with a minor in Social Work.