He doesn't have extensive football experience, and even less at his current position. In eighth grade he was a defensive lineman and tight end, and he played tight end as a freshman and sometimes as a sophomore.
Donoghue began playing guard as a sophomore and earned a varsity letter. He has been a starter there the past two seasons.
Even though he played guard in high school, Donoghue has the ability to play any position along the offensive line.
"He is very athletic, can run, and plays with a high motor, is very physical and smart," Garnet Valley coach Mike Ricci said.
Donoghue is a member of the school's 1,000-pound club. He bench-pressed 315 pounds, squatted 405, and deadlifted 405 for a total of 1,125 pounds.
And as he continued to improve in football, his dedication grew, to the point where he stopped playing baseball after his sophomore year. And Donoghue was a varsity baseball player both seasons.
It's not out of line to suggest that Donoghue's better days are ahead.
"I like to think that," he said. "I think there was big improvement junior to senior year in technique and I hope I can learn more and improve."
Villanova Recruiting Class
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. High School
Matt Donoghue OL 6-4 280 Garnet Valley
Wesley Smith DB 5-11 175 Nova South (Fla.)
Michael Williams DL 6-5 280 Archbishop Spalding (Md.)
Lincoln Collins WR 6-2 180 Boston College H.S. (Mass.)
Thomas Plonski DL 6-5 230 Brooklyn Technical (N.Y.)
Lorenzo Fertitta DB 5-10 175 Bishop Gorman (Nev.)
Trey Johnson DB 5-11 160 Steinbrenner H.S. ( Fla.)
Jason Ceneus DB 5-9 170 New Rochelle H.S. (N.Y.)
Contact Marc Narducci at mnarducci@phillynews.com. Follow @sjnard on Twitter.
