A few weeks out from early national signing day, the Vols have done most of the work in their 2024 signing class. They’ve landed several blue-chip players that the coaching staff thinks can impact this roster early. One of those players is five-star wide receiver Mike Matthews. Matthews is around 6-2 and 180 pounds and plays his prep football for Parkview High School in Lilburn, Georgia. Matthews is currently committed to playing in the Under Armour All-American Bowl and was recently named the Region 4-7A Offensive Player of the Year.
Matthews finalized his decision on July 19th after considering multiple schools, including Tennessee, Clemson, Georgia, and USC. He was fully locked in with the Vols moving forward after his decision and never gave signs of flipping or decommitting. Matthews is coming into a situation with a lot of question marks. Tennessee still awaits the decisions of many players, including Bru McCoy and Dont’e Thornton. The Vols have also seen a bit of struggle from some wide-outs throughout the season. Tennessee’s potential wide receiver room includes many names with high potential
The five-star may get serious playing time with or without injuries. The question is, what’s his base value to this staff immediately? If it’s truly high, then there is a solid chance you see him in a spot from 4-6 before the season even starts, which would make him a backup to the first team his freshman year. However, if he dominates through camp, some people might start calling for the true freshman to get more snaps and potentially starting time, as Matthews is extremely physical and can play either slot or outside when lined up at wide receiver. It is important to at least let Matthews find some type of playing time in year one, no matter what path the Vols take when it comes to this specific prospect. The more time he gets, the faster he develops, as many anticipate Matthews to be quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s No. 1 guy at some point throughout their career
