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Matthew Bergeron was a relative nobody when he traveled to Syracuse for a camp with some of his teammates in June 2018. But by midday, a few coaches had noticed him. During the one-on-one period when Bergeron went up against defensive linemen, he didn’t lose. All of the coaches soon surrounded him. People asked his mother, Annie, who had driven her three children down for the camp, if Bergeron was her son. Everybody was surprised about how well he played that day, she said.

Syracuse’s then-offensive coordinator Mike Lynch stayed in touch with Bergeron and came to his school, Cégep de Thetford, that winter. Lynch told Bergeron to be ready, since he could have a chance to start as a freshman, Thetford head coach Kevin Mackey said. Bergeron was in disbelief. He started five games as a first-year player in 2019.

Bergeron was the first player from Thetford to earn a Division-I scholarship. He’d also be the school’s first-ever NFL player if he enters the draft. Football is not the prominent sport in Bergeron’s hometown of Victoriaville, Quebec. NFL prospects don’t come out of Victoriaville — or even Quebec — regularly. That’s why all of Quebec knows about Bergeron, his mother said.

Now in his fourth season at Syracuse, Bergeron gives Garrett Shrader room to throw and Sean Tucker chances to break free for big gains. His work earned him the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Offensive Lineman of the Week award this week.

At 6-foot-5, 322 pounds with next-level blocking skills, Bergeron is Syracuse’s best offensive lineman, according to Dino Babers, and a legitimate top-100 NFL prospect according to draft scouts. Bergeron’s talent has always been special — Mackey had him run with the team’s wide receivers to give him some competition because he was so fast.

“(He means) everything,” Babers said of Bergeron’s impact on SU. “He’s the best offensive lineman we have on the team. It’s not close. He’s probably one of the best leaders we have on the team. Not close.”

The Orange’s offense averaged 215.6 rushing yards per game when Bergeron started as a freshman, 61.6 yards more than their season average. He became a full-time starter the next season, playing at both tackle positions. While at left tackle, Bergeron was the only member of Syracuse’s offensive line to start every game at the same position last year. Bergeron earned All-ACC honorable mention honors, and caught the eye of NFL scouts. Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nagy tweeted that Bergeron has “NFL starting left tackle talent.”

Just getting to @CuseFootball tape and can’t believe how little buzz LT Matthew Bergeron (@MatthewkBerger1) has gotten on here this summer. Clemson :movie_camera: against bunch of future dudes was impressive. NFL starting left tackle talent. :100::chart_with_upwards_trend::flag-ca: #BestoftheBest#TheDraftStartsInMOBILE:tm: pic.twitter.com/tQ6xnSxsV0

— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) August 1, 2022

“He’s going to be a guy that people are going to be well aware of come draft time,” said Sports Illustrated draft scout Jack Borowsky.

All the success came after years of working with Remi Giguere, Bergeron’s trainer and mentor. The two met in 2017 when Bergeron went to a selection camp for Team Quebec’s Canada Cup team. Giguere immediately impressed when Bergeron walked into the facility for the first time. His play during the evaluation camp simply confirmed that he would be Quebec’s starting left tackle.

But in the first game of the tournament, Bergeron suffered a concussion. His family was in attendance, and Giguere spent time ensuring that he was OK. Bergeron attended Thetford after the tournament, but Giguere offered to still help him with technique. Bergeron would drive over an hour to meet with Giguere and watch film or work out together.

The day before the Syracuse camp, Bergeron and his mom went to the University of Sherbrooke, where Giguere coached at the time, and worked on technique with his trainer for an hour to make sure he was ready.

To Giguere, everything for an offensive lineman begins with their stance — how the feet are set and if the hips are close enough to the line of scrimmage. He met with former NFL offensive lineman LeCharles Bentley four times in Arizona to talk about technique. Everything that Gigeure taught Bergeron comes from Bentley, and Bergeron still plays with the same stance, one that’s higher than most, Giguere said.

Syracuse’s then-offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh criticized that stance when Bergeron arrived at SU. But he kept doing it, Giguere said. When the lineman went back to Canada, he told Giguere that the defensive play in the ACC was on a different level than in Quebec. While watching film, Giguere noticed that Bergeron was always opening his hips after one pass play. They went to the practice field and ran the same pass set repeatedly, ensuring Bergeron’s stance was strong and at the point of contact.

Bergeron’s work with Mackey at Thetford in his last semester focused on foot speed, power, changing direction and agility. Bergeron’s strength stood out to Mackey, as he could rep 275-285 pound power clean sets. Mackey had to hold a shield tighter on pass protection drills because Bergeron was so strong.

“You hold it for other offensive linemen, and it wasn’t the same punch as when he would come through and do the drills,” Mackey said. “I still remember his punch. It’s pretty hard.”

Mackey knew Bergeron moved quicker than the other lineman, and was on par with the team’s skill players. Few players in Quebec could run 4.30 40-yard dashes like Bergeron, Giguere said. Mackey saw Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and David Foucalt play, two Quebec natives who played offensive line in the NFL, and said that Bergeron was a “level above” those players.

“It’s so unusual for us to see a kid like him in Quebec,” Giguere said.

Borowsky said Bergeron is a likely top-100 pick — which would make him the first from Victoriaville ever drafted — and Babers said he’s a legitimate first-round talent. He’s clean in pass protection, has an NFL frame, handles bullrushes well and gets to the second level with ease on run plays, Borowsky said.

Bergeron said he doesn’t care about anything NFL-related right now. Annie said he’s talked about the NFL with her, but is still taking everything day-by-day.

“My focus is on the next game and being a better player, not for the scouts, not for whatever,” he said.

Annie said they’ll be at this weekend’s game against Purdue and the rest of the Orange’s home slate this year. It means a lot to Bergeron, still fulfilling his dream of playing college football while maintaining a connection with those back home.

“I would like people to know that story (of) a little kid from so far in Victoriaville, Quebec,” Annie said. “That it’s possible to dream and to make their dreams come true.”

Published on September 14, 2022 at 11:57 pm

Contact Connor: csmith49@syr.edu | @csmith17_