Fred Matua attended Banning High School in Wilmington, California where he was a two-way player on the football team, playing on both the offensive and the defensive lines. He was named second team all-city as a junior, totaling 75 tackles, 15 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and an interception. He led Banning High to a city title that season. As a senior, Matua played in three games before breaking his leg, effectively ending his season and he high school career. He visited Oklahoma and Notre Dame before finally accepting a scholarship to play for USC. He immediately earned a starting spot at guard for the Trojans. He sprained his right knee prior to the season, causing him to miss his start in the season opener. The injury returned to cause him to miss the Colorado game. Finally he had arthroscopic surgery on his knee, causing him to miss the rest of the season. He was able to get a medical redshirt, giving him an extra year of eligibility. Matua started the first six games of the 2003 season before losing his starting job to John Drake. He got the job back for the last two games of the season after Drake suffered a season ending injury. In the fall of 2004, Matua sprained both his ankle and his back. The injuries bothered him throughout the season but he was able to play through the pain. His junior season was his third year as a starter. He still has a year of eligibility remaining due to the medical redshirt he received in 2002; However, Fred has decided to leave USC to enter the 2006 NFL draft in order to help his family.

Fred Matua has a good deal of experience against top competition, having started the past three seasons at guard for USC. He is a strong, aggressive player with a real “mean streak”. He is very strong at the point of attack and can be a dominating run blocker at times. He displays good technique and solid footwork for an interior lineman. Although he did play guard at USC, he also served as the team’s backup center as well. Fred lacks great size and athleticism and he will get beaten by more athletic defensive tackles at times. He had some injury problems in both high school and college so durability may be a cause for concern. Fred is a player who would’ve benefited from another year of college ball. At this point he looks to be an early second day pick in the 2006 NFL draft.