DALLAS, Texas – Moments before a game starts, redshirt senior defensive back Dior Mathis will start to clap his hands. He’ll subsequently move into the center of a circle, surrounded by his teammates, and the rest of them will begin to clap in unison.
Then, Mathis breaks from his regularly soft-spoken and vibrant character.
“How y’all feel!” Mathis shouts.
“Fired up!” The team replies.
The script isn’t always the same. Redshirt freshman defensive back Chris Seisay remembers one particular statement his current roommate made that amplified the collective energy.
“He’ll yell one thing before the game like, ‘they can’t play with us,’” Seisay says, as he adds a subtle upbeat to his tone.
He provides what redshirt senior defensive back Troy Hill refers to as an “extra incentive” and a type of intensity that defensive backs coach John Neal compares to the Hulk.
For the last two seasons, Mathis has been the figure vocally rallying every player before a game. Given the position from former Oregon running back Kenjon Barner, the Detroit, Michigan native began his career as the Ducks’ “hype-man” in the 2013 spring game and has had a tight grip on the role ever since.
“When (Kenjon) used to do that I was like, ‘man I want to do that here,’” Mathis said Saturday at the National Championship Media Day. “It looked so exciting and he told me you’re up next. The year he left, the spring game I just took over and everyone gravitated towards me to do it.”
But there’s a noticeable difference between Mathis and Barner. Barner was the leading rusher on a Ducks team that won the 2013 Fiesta Bowl. Mathis has never held a permanent starting position during his collegiate tenure.
Although that is what has made his impact so profound. The redshirt senior was once a four-star recruit coming out of high school, but has since only made marginal impacts at Oregon.
But it hasn’t changed his mentality in the slightest.
“I wake up just every day just happy and when you’re feeling down you just got to realize, I’m a graduate, I’m playing on one of the best teams in the country,” Mathis said days before the Rose Bowl. “There’s really nothing to be mad about.”
It’s a credit to his disposition, according to Neal. In a world where college athletes are constantly transferring, looking for a place where they can start, Mathis has remained at Oregon without a hint of regret. Mathis says its because he’s truly “blessed.”
“He’s got nothing but respect for the team,” Hill said. “So when you see players like him that don’t get the every-down snaps and stuff and he still cheering you on, that’s big. You know then that everyone is all in.”
It’s rubbed off on everyone around him. As his roommate, Seisay says he’s received a large dose of inspirational messages from Mathis. In addition, redshirt senior safety Erick Dargan uses the word “powerful” when describing his speeches.
Those pregame talks come with a certain preparation. In the days leading up to a game, Mathis tries to understand the vibe of the team. Before the Rose Bowl, as Mathis recalls, the intensity was at a peak. And right now, he sees the excitement beginning to reach a maximum.
“I always think about it the day before a game,” Mathis said. “Like how am I going to coach it, what I’m going to say. Every week is different.”
His rallies have become a spark in numerous ways, whether it serves as inspiration to a freshman like Seisay or just that added juice to a veteran like Hill.
But more so than anything, he’s acted as an ignition to a team that finds itself in Dallas for the National Championship.
“He gets guys going,” Neal said. “Sometimes you have to fake it. And then all of a sudden it does become contagious. And then before you know it you get a catalyst that gets some energy moving and he’s been really good at it.”
After Monday, Mathis will leave behind both the role as the “hype-man” and Oregon football altogether. However, when he flips on the television in the lead up to next season he alludes to the fact that he’ll be seen as the one inside the pre-game huddle, hyping his teammates.
It’s the thing everyone will see, and an impact Mathis is glad to have left.
Follow Justin Wise on Twitter @JustinFWise