CAREER NOTES & RECORDS
Career: Tied for 10th all-time at Penn State with 19.0 career sacks...Ranks 11th all-time at Penn State with 37.0 career tackles for loss.
Season: 2018: Became the 11th Nittany Lion to record 20 tackles for loss in a season (12th time)...Tied with Bruce Clark (1978), Todd Atkins (1994), LaVar Arrington (1999) and Aaron Maybin (2008) for the eighth-most tackles for loss in a season.
2019 • JUNIOR SEASON
Awards: Won the team's Reid-Robinson Award, recognizing an outstanding defensive lineman, at the team's awards banquet...Named a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award...Tabbed a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award...Named Phil Steele All-America third team...Selected All-Big Ten first team by the coaches and media...Tabbed All-Big Ten second team by the Associated Press...Named Phil Steele All-Big Ten first team...Garnered Pro Football Focus All-Big Ten third team...Named as a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award...Tabbed as a quarterfinalist for the Lott Impact Trophy...Tabbed a Sporting News Midseason All-American...Named second-team Midseason AP All-American...Earned All-ECAC Defensive honors...Selected to the Pro Football Focus Big Ten Team of the Week second team following the Michigan State game (10/26)...Selected to the Pro Football Focus Big Ten Team of the Week second team following the Iowa game (10/12)...Named to the Pro Football Focus Big Ten Team of the Week second team following his performance vs. Buffalo (9/7)...Named to the Ted Hendricks Award watch list...Tabbed on the preseason Bronko Nagurski Award watch list...Selected for the preseason Big Ten honors list, voted on by conference media members.
Season: Made 12 starts.
Rankings: Ranked seventh in the Big Ten and No. 21 in the nation with 0.79 sacks per game...Held sixth in the conference and No. 24 in the FBS with 1.3 tackles for loss per game.
Idaho (8/31): Notched 2.5 sacks, while collecting three tackles...Selected as the Coaching Staff's Defensive Player of the Week. Buffalo (9/7): Registered three tackles, including a solo sack...Added a QB hurry. at Maryland (9/27): Recorded five tackles, including two tackles for loss...Had a QB hurry. Purdue (10/5): Collected two sacks...Added two QB hurries. at Iowa (10/12): Recorded five tackles...Had a solo tackle for loss. Michigan (10/19): Posted five tackles...Had a half-tackle for loss. at Michigan State (10/26): Recorded three tackles...Made a half-tackle for loss. at Minnesota (11/9): Secured two tackles. Indiana (11/16): Collected two tackles...Recorded a sack...Had a QB hurry. at Ohio State (11/23): Notched nine tackles, including five solo...Registered 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. vs. Memphis (12/28): Recorded a sack in the first quarter.
2018 • SOPHOMORE SEASON
Awards: Voted first-team All-Big Ten by the media...Selected third-team All-Big Ten by the coaches...Earned the team’s Reid-Robinson Award, as an outstanding defensive lineman, at the team’s awards banquet...Named to the Hendricks Award (Top Defensive End) Watch List...Named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week following the Iowa (10/27) game.
Season: Made 13 starts...One of 20 players to make their first career start...Had at least a half-sack in five-straight games from Michigan State (10/13) until Wisconsin (11/10)...Had at least a full tackle for loss in eight-straight games, from Ohio State (9/29) through Maryland (11/24).
Rankings: Ranked No. 2 in the Big Ten and ranked No. 12 in the nation with 1.5 tackles for loss per game...Finished No. 8 in the Big Ten and No. 47 in FBS with 0.62 sacks per game.
Appalachian State (9/1): Earned first career start and had three tackles...Registered half a tackle for loss and a QB hurry. at Pittsburgh (9/8): Posted three tackles...Added a half-sack and a QB hurry. Kent State (9/15): Had 2.0 tackles for loss, including a sack...Added a QB hurry. at Illinois (9/21): Assisted on a tackle. Ohio State (9/29): Recorded four tackles, including three solo...Added a tackle for loss and a QB hurry. Michigan State (10/13): Collected four tackles...Had 2.5 tackles for loss, including a half-sack...Forced a fumble for the first time in career...Added a QB hurry. at Indiana (10/20): Registered a career-high 10 tackles, the most tackles by a Penn State a Penn State defensive lineman since Austin Johnson had 10 tackles against Northwestern in 2015...The 10 tackles are the most by a PSU defensive end since Carl Nassib had 10 at Temple in 2015...Had a career-best two sacks. Iowa (10/27): Posted nine tackles, including seven solo...Set a career high with four tackles for loss and tied a career high with two sacks...Named the coaching staff’s Defensive Player of the Week. at Michigan (11/3): Collected four tackles...Recorded a solo sack. Wisconsin (11/10): Recorded five tackles, all solo...Made two tackles for loss, including a strip-sack...Forced a fumble and recovered a fumble. at Rutgers (11/17): Registered five tackles, including two solo...Had a tackle for loss...Named the coaching staff’s Defensive Player of the Week. Maryland (11/24): Collected four tackles...Made 3.5 tackles for loss...Earned the coaching staff’s Defensive Player of the Week award.
2017 • TRUE FRESHMAN SEASON
Awards: Named honorable-mention All-Freshman Team by BTN.com.
Season: Appeared in all 13 games...Made collegiate debut vs. Akron (9/2)...One of 24 student-athletes to make their collegiate debut...One of 17 freshmen (14 redshirt, 3 true) to appear.
Akron (9/2): Made collegiate debut...Logged two stops...Added one quarterback hurry in the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh (9/9): Had a solo stop in the fourth quarter. Georgia State (9/16): Made back-to-back big plays early in the fourth quarter...Combined with Antonio Shelton on a tackle for loss, before recovering a fumble that was forced by Daniel Joseph on third down...It was his first career fumble recovery and capped a five-turnover game for the Penn State defense...Helped Penn State force five turnovers (three interceptions, two fumble recoveries), the first time since forcing five turnovers at Indiana (five fumble recoveries) in 2016. Indiana (9/30): Notched a season-high three tackles. at Northwestern (10/7): Had one quarterback hurry. Michigan (10/21): Made two tackles...Part of a defensive line that earned the coaching staff’s Defensive Player of the Week. at Michigan State (11/4): Recorded three tackles...Logged his first career sack, a combined takedown of Brian Lewerke with Tyrell Chavis in the second quarter. Rutgers (11/11): Made three tackles. Nebraska (11/18): Had one tackle. vs. Washington (12/30): Took down Jake Browning for a quarterback sack in the fourth quarter for his lone stop of the game.
HIGH SCHOOL
Four-time letterman for head coach Bob Oliver at Chancellor High School...Capped his high school career by helping the Chargers go 9-3 as a senior...Selected second-team USA Today All-State as a senior...Named Conference 19-Battlefield District Defensive Player of the Year and Co-Player of the Year as a senior...Garnered Region 4A first-team honors in 2016...Selected to the all-conference first team in 2015 and 2016...Named Chancellor’s defensive MVP in 2016...Logged 272 tackles, forced six fumbles and broke up five passes in three seasons for the Chargers...Registered 130 tackles, including 21 tackles for loss, as a senior...Totaled 18.5 sacks in his senior season for a combined three-year total of 37 sacks to become the career sacks leader at Chancellor...Rated as a four-star prospect by all four major recruiting outlets – 247Sports, ESPN, Rivals and Scout...Was an ESPN300 recruit, ranking No. 247th nationally...Rated the No. 7 recruit in Virginia, No. 28 prospect in the region and the No. 17 defensive end nationally by ESPN...Ranked No. 5 in Virginia, No. 5 nationally at strong-side defensive end and No. 186 overall by 247Sports...Ranked as No. 3 in Virginia, No. 4 in the East and No. 24 overall among defensive ends by Scout...Rated No. 264 on the Scout300 list...Rated as the No. 136 overall recruit by Rivals...Ranked as the No. 5 prospect in Virginia and No. 5 strong-side defensive end in the nation by Rivals...Lettered in basketball and track.
PERSONAL
Full name is Yetur Akkub Gross-Matos...Son of Sakinah and Robert Matos...Has one brother, Robby, and two sisters, Qeturah and Cristina...Hobbies include drawing and music...Majoring in criminology...Has career ambitions to serve underprivileged youth in some capacity...Born February 26, 1998 in New Jersey.