#153: Matt Slater, WR, UCLA

LOS ANGELES - There were times when Matthew Slater wasn't sure if this would ever happen.

From the time Slater entered UCLA, his career had been marked by setbacks. First, the numerous injuries that never seemed to end. Then the position changes. Blessed with superstar speed, Slater began his time in Westwood as a wide receiver. Then he was a cornerback. Then he was a safety.

Through all of this, all Slater ever wanted was to be able to contribute to the team and find a role he could thrive in. Finally, Slater has found that opportunity.

A senior who is now a backup safety, Slater has emerged as a force on special teams as a kick returner for the 11th-ranked Bruins (2-0), who will face Utah (0-2) today in a non-conference game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.

"I've finally found my niche," said Slater, one of the most respected locker room presences on the team. "In my mind, special teams is about relentless effort. I thought about all the hard times I've been through here, and said, 'Now I have a chance, let me make the most of it.'

"These last few years, I felt like I've had an opportunity to leave my mark on the program, and that's in the form of being a great special teams player. But I'll take it how I can get it."

But for Slater, the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive lineman Jackie Slater, getting to a point in his career where he could contribute seemed like a process that would not yield these results.

Slater finished second in the state 100 meters his senior season at Anaheim Servite High. He arrived at UCLA as a wide receiver and almost immediately found himself injured with turf toe. He was redshirted in 2003.

In 2005, he sustained a stress reaction in his left leg and missed the early part of the season. In 2006, with the Bruins desperately needing secondary depth, Slater moved to cornerback but was limited by a shoulder injury and briefly considered giving up football to run track.

"He was so desperate to get on the field and do anything to contribute to the team," Jackie Slater, a longtime Rams star, said by phone. "He wanted to do it with his God-given ability, which is his speed and his tenacity.

"As a guy that has played a lot of football, the thing that impresses me the most is his commitment to UCLA. It's one he stood by through hell or high water, and it's hard to stay that way when you're met with so many disappointments along the way ... he's been the ultimate teammate."

This season, Matthew Slater switched to safety. But with standouts Dennis Keyes and Chris Horton starting, Slater knew he might not be able to contribute there. So in the offseason, he approached special teams coordinator Gary DeLoach with an idea.

Slater, who began making people take notice of his special teams tackles last season, wanted a chance to return kickoffs, feeling it was one thing he could do to help the program.

From the Press-Enterprise