Matthew Colburn II (born July 27, 1997) is an American football running back for the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League (USFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Wake Forest.

Early life and education

Colburn was born on July 27, 1997, and grew up in Irmo, South Carolina. He attended

Dutch Fork High School Dutch Fork High School is a school in the Lexington & Richland County School District Five, located in Irmo, South Carolina. Notable alumni * Tyler Bass, NFL kicker for the Buffalo Bills *Alaina Coates, professional women's basketball player * ...

and set schools records as a junior with 2,448 rushing yards and 40 touchdowns. As a senior, he ran for 1,705 yards and scored 24 touchdowns, being named the 2014 SC "Mr. Football." Colburn initially committed to Louisville but was told shortly before signing day that the school had no room for him. He then signed with Wake Forest, declining offers from Marshall,

Georgia Southern Georgia Southern University (GS or Georgia Southern) is a public research university in the U.S. state of Georgia. The flagship campus is in Statesboro, and other locations include the Armstrong Campus in Savannah and the Liberty Campus in Hin ...

and Furman. In his debut against Elon, Colburn ran for 38 yards on 12 carries and scored his first career touchdown. He led the team with 51 yards against Florida State. As a

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

, Colburn led the team with 626 rushing yards. In a win against Delaware, he made a career-high 24 carries for 118 yards and scored a touchdown. He ran for 103 yards the following week, becoming the first player with back-to-back 100-yard rushing games at Wake Forest since 2011. In his junior year, Colburn placed first in the school with 904 yards rushing. He ran for 237 yards against

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

on November 11. He was named to the ESPN All-

ACC ACC most often refers to: * Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US *American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...

Bowl team at the end of the season. Colburn ran for 759 yards and scored five touchdowns as a senior, finishing his career sixth in team history with 2,528 yards rushing. Against Louisville, who had pulled his scholarship in 2015, Colburn ran for a career-high 243 yards and scored three touchdowns.

Professional career

Los Angeles Rams

After going unselected in the

2019 NFL Draft The 2019 NFL Draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee. The first round was held on April 2 ...

, Colburn was signed by the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

as an undrafted free agent. He was waived at the final roster cuts on August 30.

New York Guardians

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

, Colburn was signed by the

New York Guardians The Orlando Guardians are a professional American football team based in Orlando, Florida. The team was founded by Vince McMahon's Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the XFL. The Guardians played their home games at MetLi ...

of the

XFL XFL may refer to: Sports * XFL (2001), a defunct American football league that played its only season in 2001 * XFL (2020), a professional American football league Vehicles * Bell XFL Airabonita, a 1940 U.S. Navy experimental interceptor aircra ...

. He played in just two games for the Guardians, making one rush attempt for six yards.

TSL Blues

Later in the year, he played for the Blues of The Spring League, gaining almost 200 yards in week two and in week three.

Toronto Argonauts

On February 15, , Colburn was signed by the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was released on July 20.

Philadelphia Stars

Colburn was selected in the 28th round of the

2022 USFL Draft The 2022 USFL Draft, also known as the 2022 USFL Player Selection Meeting, was the player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams for the 2022 USFL season. The draft was held on February 22–23, 2022, with results released throug ...

by the Philadelphia Stars. In his first game for the Stars, he played as a backup and made nine rush attempts for 14 yards. He was placed on injured reserve on June 29, 2022. Colburn was given the 2022 USFL Sportsman of the Year Award, awarded to the one who shows the "best-exhibited excellence on the field and leadership to the community off the field."

Jacksonville Jaguars

On August 7, 2022, Colburn was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was waived on August 15.

Philadelphia Stars (second stint)

Colburn re-signed with the Philadelphia Stars on November 9, 2022. He was placed on the injured reserve list on June 6, 2023.