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Josh Heupel: Five-star WR Mike Matthews 'has got a great future'

IMG_3593by: Grant Ramey12/23/23GrantRamey
Mike Matthews
Tennessee Athletics

It took Mike Matthews just a few days on the practice field for Josh Heupel to see exactly why Tennessee wanted the five-star wide receiver so badly. The early returns have been Matthews living up to the hype while making his debut with the Vols during bowl practices.

“Mike Matthews has been really good,” Heupel said Wednesday afternoon during his National Signing Day press conference. “First three, four days already out on the grass, got great length, just talking about his wingspan. 

“Extremely explosive, the ability to go up and high-point a ball over the middle of the football field or out on the edge as he’s going vertically.”

Mike Matthews headlined Tennessee’s 2024 class, ranked No. 22 overall in On3 Industry Ranking

Matthews, the 6-foot-1, 186-pound prospect out of Parkview High School in Lilburn, Ga., finished his prep career as a five-star prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking, ranked No. 22 overall in the 2024 class. He was the No. 6 wide receiver in the country and the No. 4 overall prospect in the state of Georgia.

Matthews committed to Tennessee in July, instantly becoming the headliner in Tennessee’s 2024 class. He took unofficial visits to see the Vols in October 2022, in January and in April, before an official visit last June. 

There will be an obvious growth learning curve for Matthews, as he joins a Tennessee wide receiver room that returns Squirrel White, Chas Nimrod and Kaleb Webb, along with Tulane transfer receiver Chris Brazzell.

‘He can get better relative to some other guys’

“As a wide receiver,” Heupel said of Matthews, “you’re gonna have to develop the ability to play versus man press at the line of scrimmage. Those are things that you typically don’t see (in high school). But (he’s) a really bright guy that has got a great future.”

Charles Power, On3’s director of scouting and rankings, told Volquest’s Matt Ray last week that Matthews’ best football is clearly still in front of him. 

“He has always kind of been that two-way athlete, two-way playmaker at the high school level, and we saw him play a good bit of safety this year as a senior,” Power said. “I think he is a guy that as he focuses on one position, like at receiver at Tennessee, he is going to see his play and consistency improve.

“That is probably an area where I believe he can get better relative to some other guys who get just play straight receiver at the high-school level.”

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