THE PRO COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYER PROSPECT SCOUTING DATABASEDRAFT PROSPECT 2011
P - DiLallo, Matt, Colorado
# 14
Punter - P
Height: 6-1 Weight: 200
Redshirt Freshman
Experience: Redshirt
Previous Schools
Wellington
Previous Experience
RS
Wellington, Fla.
General Area Workouts for Pro Teams: Florida or Boulder, CO
Scouting (Staff):
Paul Assad, Pro College Football Player Development and Scouting comments: Has ability, athletic. Good power, and speed. Has been streaky, needs to take it to that next level in practice in games. Wants to pull the trigger on punts early and doesn't always set up.
AT COLORADO: This Season (Jr.)—Looking to become just the 13th player in school history to be the regular punter for three seasons, which would set him up to be just the second to handle the chores four seasons come 2009. Phil Steele’s College Football named him third-team All-Big 12 in its preseason preview, and ranked him the No. 17 punter in the country.
2007 (Soph.)—At first glance it might appear that he suffered the proverbial sophomore slump, but one has to look inside-the-numbers. While his average was 40.11 for 61 kicks in the regular season, over three-and-a-half yards lower than his freshman average, he was asked to do more with less. Less field to be exact, as the average yardline for his punts was the CU36 (as compared to the 31 in 2006), and he responded with 22 punts inside-the-20, tied for the second most in school history for a single season. His 39.8 average, including the bowl game, ranked him fifth in the Big 12 and 72nd in the NCAA). The coaches named him the special teams player of the week for the Baylor game (49.0 average on two punts, almost 17 yards more than his Baylor counterpart). He won the punting battle over the opponent in seven games, including the last four, and his hang time along with CU’s coverage units limited the opponent to a 6.9 average on returns (34th best in the NCAA). He had six punts of 50 or more yards, and also placed four inside-the-10 and three inside-the-5, with just three touchbacks. He averaged 43.5 yards on punts inside-the-Buff 25, and had 52.5 percent of his punts not returned, including 13 that were fair caught. He averaged three punts for 34.3 yards, with on inside-the-20 and one blocked against Alabama in the Independence Bowl. The Sporting News selected him as the second-team All-Big 12 punter in its preseason magazine, while Phil Steele’s College Football placed him on its third team (ranking him as the No. 15 punter nationally). Not resting on his frosh laurels, he worked hard in spring ball and the coaches presented him with the Bill McCartney Award as the most improved special teams player.
2006 (Fr.-RS)—He earned unanimous first-team Freshman All-America honors, as he was honored by The Sporting News, the FWAA, Rivals.com and collegefootballnews.com; TSN also selected him first-team Freshman All-Big 12. He garnered second-team All-Colorado honors by the state’s National Football Foundation chapter. In 12 games, he averaged 43.74 yards for 47 punts, with 14 inside-the-20 (four inside-the-10), with eight over 50 yards and two over 60; he owned a net average of 38.5 and a 44.9 mark on punts made from inside CU’s own 25. He did not record a single touchback, and his season long punt of 73 yards, against Colorado State in Denver, set a CU record for the longest punt by a freshman (by some 10 yards). He finished fourth in the Big 12 and 16th in the NCAA in becoming just the third player to lead CU in punting as a freshman (true or redshirt). His 43.7 average was 5.4 yards better than the previous school record by a freshman. He earned CU Athlete-of-the-Week honors for his efforts in the Baylor game, as he had a 51.8 average for four punts, including a pair inside-the-20; his last punt of the game, a 63-yard rocket, came near the end of regulation with an 11-man rush as the contest was set to go into overtime. He won personal punting battles against the opposing punter nine out of 10 times (he had just one punt the other two occasions).
2005 (Fr.)—Redshirted; did not see any action. Practiced the entire fall at punter, as he was tutored by one of the best in John Torp, who finished as the runner-up for the Ray Guy Award.
HIGH SCHOOL—He earned first-team All-Palm Beach County (District 6A) and all-conference honors and honorable mention all-area accolades as both a junior and senior. He was a team captain as a senior, when he played in the Florida All-Star game at the Outback Bowl, and as a junior, he was his team’s most valuable player on special teams. As a senior, he had 22 punts for a 40.3-yard average (long of 60), while dropping 10 punts inside the 20-yard line (seven inside-the-10). His junior year, he averaged 42.0 yards on 44 punts (long of 72, a school record), placing 23 punts inside the 20 (and 10 inside-the-10). He also served as his team’s placekicker for one game, connecting on five extra points and a 35-yard field goal. One of his top prep games was against John I. Leonard High School his junior season, when he had eight punts for a 43.1 average and landed four inside the 20 (including an amazing three inside-the-5). Wellington was 2-9 his senior year and 4-6 his junior year under coach Erik Robinson. He also participated in track, competing in the shot put and discus throws.
ACADEMICS—He is an Integrative Physiology (pre-med) major at Colorado. He has earned second-team Academic All-Big 12 team honors as a redshirt freshman and a sophomore. He was a member of the National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society and Chemistry Honor Society in high school, as he owned a 3.48 grade point average. He also scored a 29 on the ACT and a 1230 on the SAT.
PERSONAL—He was born June 24, 1987 in Melbourne, Fla. Hobbies include cooking, working out and playing video games (he is so into preparing food for others that he would like to compete in the Iron Chef competition one day). He is interested in becoming a surgeon, and he has done volunteer work at local hospitals in Florida. His younger brother (Marcus) was accepted at Yale and will be a freshman this fall on the soccer team. He also volunteers at local 5K races for certain causes, including breast cancer, and is active in the Catholic Church with the Colombian Squires. His father (Kevin) was a shortstop at Slippery Rock State in 1976-77. He is CU’s second straight left-legged punter, following in the footsteps of Ray Guy finalist John Torp. (Last name is pronounced dih-lah-low.)
