Matt Cross

Matt Cross

Matt Cross after a wrestling victory
No. 33 – Philadelphia Liberty
Position:	Safety
Personal information
Born:	(2014-12-31)December 31, 2014 (aged 46) Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:	192 lb (87 kg)
Career information
College:	Arizona State
ISFL Draft:	2037 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3
DSFL Draft:	2036 / Round: 2 / Pick: 14
Career history
Roster status:	Active

Matt "Son of Havoc" Cross (born December 31, 1998) is an American football safety who is currently unsigned by a professional team. He played college football for Arizona State University (ASU) and has declared his intent to enter the professional ranks next season.

Early years

Matt Cross was born in Phoenix, Arizona, to Liz and Tom Cross. His father was a UFC Fighter, so Matt was very involved in sports starting at a young age. Striving to be as strong as his dad who held the middleweight title from 1989-1991, Matt started wrestling and playing football. He worked excessively hard to train and become a serious competitor in both sports. In middle school and high school, Matt was able to both wrestle and play football while maintaining good grades in school.

Both of Matt’s wrestling seasons in high school are quite notable. As a freshman, Matt went undefeated with a record of 8-0, and during his sophomore year continued his reign by going 11-1 on the season. However, after his sophomore year, Matt faced an incredibly tough decision, and decided to focus more on football. He retired as a wrestler with his high school overall record of 19-1.

When he then decided to commit full time to football, Matt became a starting safety on his high school team. As a safety in high school, Matt Cross impressed with the stats and playstyle he developed within a short period of time.

College career

As a true freshman at ASU, Matt Cross only started 4 games throughout the season. This was due to him having less experience coming out of high school. Matt showed a lot of development in those four games however, and in the following year Matt started every game and recorded impressive numbers.

As a sophomore, Matt’s breakout game came when his team needed it most. Against the University of Arizona, ASU’s biggest rival, in the annual game that is commonly referred to as the Territorial Cup, Matt recorded 2 interceptions, 4 pass break ups, 8 tackles and a sack to lead his team to a victory, 36-10. Named the MVP of the game, Matt Cross was largely celebrated at ASU, and the following seasons he only continued to improve.

Matt’s Junior and Senior year can be best described by his ability to break up passes. Matt set the ASU record for pass break ups in a two-year span at 47. After a commanding season last year, Matt is looking to be a top prospect entering the DSFL Draft.

College career statistics

Career statistics			Tackles			Sacks	Interceptions		Other					Kick Returns			Punt Returns
Season	Team	Games	Reg	TFL	Total	Sack	Int	IntTD	DefTD	FFum	FRec	PD	Safety	Yds	Avg	KR TD	Yds	Avg	PR TD
2032 (S17)	ASU	4	10	1	11	0	0	0	0	0	1	8	0
2033 (S18)	ASU	12	38	4	42	2	3	0	0	0	0	19	0	121	20	0	28	7	0
2034 (S19)	ASU	12	34	6	40	3	4	1	0	1	0	24	1	70	23.3	0	52	5.8	0
2035 (S20)	ASU	12	40	6	46	2	3	0	0	2	0	23	0

DSFL Professional career

Matt Cross was a part of the largest draft class in the history of the league. Season 22 had a remarkable 271 rookies. Standing out due to his work ethic and friendly personality, Cross was drafted 14th overall by the Norfolk Seawolves. He had an electric start to his career when he recorded a pick six Week 1 against the Portland Pythons in a 31-9 victory. Cross’s presence was felt week in and week out on and off the field, and even as a rookie he became an inspiring member of the locker room. Cross helped lead the Seawolves to an 8-6 record, which established the S21 Norfolk Seawolves as the winningest team in their history, and a playoff berth. Unfortunately, Norfolk lost in the playoffs to Myrtle Beach, but the Seawolves were still proud of the season they had produced. After the playoffs ended, Cross and fellow safety Wesley Erickson were voted as two new Commodores for the team. Cross was excited for the chance to help his team bring in rookies and support the team even after being drafted into the NSFL.

During his time spent in Norfolk, Cross purchased a 1 million dollar mansion with Wesley Erickson in which they lived together. The mansion was equipped with multiple gyms, kitchens, and bedrooms. During the lonely quarantine, Matt and Wes often worked out together, while maintaining a distance of 6 feet apart, and admired each other's well-defined muscles. The two constantly pushed each other to become stronger, and it was easy to tell that they had a great friendship based on their chemistry on the field, and their interactions in the locker room. When the two were called up into the NSFL, they pondered what to do with their purchased property, but they decided to turn it into a team facility at Cross’s recommendation. The new facility would be specialized for training rookies, and as Commodores the two safeties could still have a place to stay in Norfolk during the offseason.

Pre-draft measurables

Ht	Wt	40‑yd dash	20‑ss	3‑cone	Vert jump	Broad	BP	Wonderlic
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	192 lb (87 kg)	4.3 s	4.13 s	7.07 s	32.1 in (0.82 m)	11.06 ft 132.8 in (6.74 m)	20 reps	30

DSFL career statistics

Career statistics			Tackles			Sacks	Interceptions		Other
Season	Team	Games	Reg	TFL	Total	Sack	Int	IntTD	DefTD	FFum	FRec	PD	Safety
2036 (S21)	Seawolves	14	77	0	77	1	3	1	1	1	0	3	0

ISFL Professional career

Season 22

In the Season 22 NSFL Draft, with the third overall pick, the Philadelphia Liberty selected Matt Cross. Philadelphia suffered serious losses in their secondary due to player retirement and the expansion draft, so they needed an enthusiastic player to push them in the right direction, especially coming off of a 3-10 season. Matt Cross was excited to play for Philly saying, “I heard that they had a fun and friendly locker room with some great guys in it, so I’m really happy to be entering that kind of environment.” Cross was voted as one of two Defensive Captains alongside linebacker Warren Stephens at the beginning of the year, and has already made a positive contribution to the team with his great attitude and dedication to the team.

Once again, Cross had another incredible game to start his season. In his first game with the Liberty, Cross made sure to let the team know that he would live up to his nickname the “Son of Havoc.” Against the Chicago Butchers, Cross picked off QB Rose Jenkins twice and recorded 4 pass deflections, helping Liberty win 51-10. This performance was awarded and Cross received the defensive gameball from GM Tubby Tim. These two interceptions however were the only picks he got all year. Playing against better QBs was clearly difficult for Cross at times, but he made up for his lack of interceptions throughout the season by increasing his sack and forced fumble numbers.

The Liberty finished the season 6-7 and missed the playoffs, but Cross’s spirits and optimism in Philly couldn’t have been higher. He knew he was a part of a young team that would only continue to improve, and he was looking forward to the years to come, quoted as saying, “It’s only been a single season here in Philly, but it already feels like home.”

Season 23

In his Second year in Philadelphia, Cross continued to show incredible promise and became a more disciplined and versatile player. Throughout the season, Cross lined up at multiple positions, free safety, strong safety, and nickelback. There were a couple different reasons for why he switched around. Coach enjoyed adjusting the DC to keep the opposition on their toes, test to see what his players were capable of, and hopefully give the team a better chance to win. Cross enjoyed playing in these different positions as it gave him the chance to shine in a new role and help the team out more.

With a year of professional experience under his belt, Cross became more disciplined in his assignments, even while changing roles at times. His total tackle number nearly doubled, from 62 to 120, and he had a significant increase in pass deflections as well. Cross continued the trend of starting the season out hot, as he got an interception in each of his first three games, against Colorado, Chicago, and Baltimore. In the first game against Colorado, Cross forced a fumble as well at the Colorado one yard line when he got his first and only tackle for loss of the season, but due to a lucky bounce McDummy was able to fall right back on the ball.

This year, the Liberty finished out at 9-7, and secured the 3rd seed in the playoffs. From previously being on the brink of making it, the Liberty were ecstatic to have their shot in the Playoffs. Unfortunately, they lost out in the first round to the Yeti, 32-25, but the progress made by this still young team just showed that the Liberty had a lot of potential in the coming seasons.

Cross was nominated for Safety of the Year for the first time in his career which he recognized as a true honor. He also made his first pro bowl, which was exciting news to hear during the offseason.

Season 24

In his 3rd year in the ISFL, Matt Cross had a disappointing season as a part of the 3-13 Philadelphia Liberty. After making the playoffs the previous year, Cross and his team had high hopes that they'd be back their again. However, after losing players in the offseason, their defense was left near close to shambles. The words to best describe Cross's emotions would be disappointment and frustration. Even though he trained and fought every day to improve, he never seemed to get better. Week in and week out he put in max effort but never saw any results. This frustration continued to grow as Philadelphia opened the season 0-9. However, when the team finally got their first win against Austin, spirits rose and the team realized what was important. Their team, their fans, and enjoying the game of football. It was hard on them to lose so often, but after that first win, they remembered what it was like to have fun while playing the game, and even during their following loses, the team grew closer and stronger together.

During this disappointing year, Cross signed a 3 year contract extension with the Liberty. Despite their struggles and frustrations, Cross wanted to fight with this team to become stronger and to start winning games. He knew that with a strong draft class to help repair their weakened front 7, they could be real competitors sooner rather than later. Cross wasn't afraid of this challenge, he was excited for it. This team still had great potential, and Cross was looking forward to the next three seasons in Philly.

ISFL career statistics

Career statistics			Tackles			Sacks	Interceptions		Other
Season	Team	Games	Reg	TFL	Total	Sack	Int	IntTD	DefTD	FFum	FRec	PD	Safety
2037 (S22)	Liberty	13	62	0	62	3	2	0	0	2	1	4	0
2038 (S23)	Liberty	16	119	1	120	3	3	0	0	2	1	12	0
2039 (S24)	Liberty	16	79	0	79	4	3	0	0	1	2	4	0

Playoff statistics

Career statistics			Tackles			Sacks	Interceptions		Other
Season	Team	Games	Reg	TFL	Total	Sack	Int	IntTD	DefTD	FFum	FRec	PD	Safety
2038 (S23)	Liberty	1	6	0	6	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Achievements and Records

Awards

Team

Individual

• ISFL Safety of the Year: 2038 Nominee
• ISFL Pro Bowl Selection (1): 2038