Very Thankful

What would you do if you had a job for one year and even though you did a good job and continued to get better, your boss went out and hired someone with a better resume than you? What if he did that again, just one year later?

Well, if you are Matt Ioannidis, you put your head down, you work even harder and you keep getting better.

Ioannidis was a fifth round selection of the Washington Redskins in 2016 out of Temple University. He appeared in 10 games as a rookie making seven tackles.

It was the coaching at Temple that prepared him for his early time in the NFL. "They instilled a work ethic that shows," said Ioannidis. "They teach you how to take hard coaching and apply that to the next level."

"Elijah Robinson my defensive line coach, he and I had a great relationship and he helped mold me into the player I am now," said Ioannidis. "Of course Coach [Matt] Rhule, and Coach [Jeremy] Scott in the weight room. I was recruited by Ben Albert, and played as a freshman for Coach [Sean] Cronin. There have been a lot of people so I can't put it all on one person, but I'm thankful to everyone who has made me a better player and better person."

He arrived at Temple without designs on a football career. "Senior year," said Ioannidis when asked when he first thought about an NFL career. "Getting the Senior Bowl invite was when I thought I could make a career out of this. When I got to Temple I was looking to play football, and capitalize on a full athletic scholarship. I tried not to put too many chips inside this basket when I started playing college ball. And here we are eight years later."

That was a pretty different path than his two blue-chip teammates. The Redskins targeted two Alabama defensive tackles in the first round of the NFL Draft following each of Ioannidis' first two seasons with the team. Jonathan Allen in 2017 and Daron Payne in 2018 probably expected to be where they are and although Ioannidis took a different path, they share the load on the inside of the Redskins' defensive line.

Now a core component of what the Redskins want to do up front, Ioannidis isn't going anywhere. The Redskins recently got him wrapped up on a three-year extension right in the middle of his prime at 25-years old, cementing the defensive core for years to come.

"It's incredible," Ioannidis said, according to Redskins.com. "Really thankful to the owner and the organization."

Through three seasons, Ioannidis has played in 38 games with 66 tackles, and 12.0 sacks. His 7.5 sacks in 2018 where very productive for an inside player and his sack-per-snap numbers were among the best in the NFL.

He made sure to credit those who helped him break out, too. "A lot of it has to do with the coaching and teaching of Coach [Jim] Tomsula and the strength staff. Coach Chad [Englehart] and Coach Kevan [Latham] and Jake [Sankal] have been instrumental in the success of the D-Line."

Ioannidis is now used to playing with NFL-caliber football players but it hasn't always been that way. "It's crazy," he said when reminded of an interesting statistic. "I've thought about that in the past how my freshman through junior year there was no one drafted and my senior year we started a trend [at Temple] and it's been really good since then."

The Temple defensive line is called the WildBoyz and the 2015 edition, Ioannidis' senior year, produced eight professional football players – Michael Dogbe, Avery Ellis, Sharif Finch, Jacob Martin, Praise Martin-Oguike, Haason Reddick, Jullian Taylor, and Ioannidis.

"That snuck up on me…I was surprised, but not in a way that I'm shocked and I can't believe it. That's cool to hear those numbers. It's a credit to them and the guys who coached them."

When he looks back to what he's most thankful about from his days at Temple he was quick to reply. "First and foremost an education. A home in Philadelphia. Friends that I will have for the rest of my life. And a support system that reaches as far as Japan."

"It's been one hell of a ride," he added. "From developing in the meeting room to the field to the weight room. Becoming a well-rounded football player. It's been a good go at it."

Ioannidis got engaged in February to his girlfriend Kate. The two met at Hunterdon Central Regional High School but didn't start dating until after college. They live in Ashburn, Virginia, with two dogs - a yellow lab and a St. Bernard.
"Things are going well," he concluded. "I'm in a really good spot. Life couldn't be better."

Temple University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Michael Dogbe

Avery Ellis

Sharif Finch

Matt Ioannidis

Jacob Martin

Praise Martin-Oguike

Haason Reddick

Jullian Taylor

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