Tennessee Vols signee sees recruiting ranking drop despite being named Polynesian Bowl MVP
Tennessee Vols signee Mike Matthews is no longer a five-star wide receiver according to 247Sports. After spending months ranked by 247Sports as the No. 22 overall player in the nation, Matthews saw his ranking drop in 247Sports' final recruiting rankings update this week. Matthews is now rated by 247Sports as the No. 40 overall player […]
Tennessee Vols signee Mike Matthews is no longer a five-star wide receiver according to 247Sports.
After spending months ranked by 247Sports as the No. 22 overall player in the nation, Matthews saw his ranking drop in 247Sports' final recruiting rankings update this week.
Matthews is now rated by 247Sports as the No. 40 overall player in the nation, which makes him a four-star wide receiver.
(Matthews is still rated as a five-star wide receiver in 247Sports' composite rankings, which averages all of the industry rankings.)
The really odd thing about Matthews' sudden change in ranking is that he was named the offensive MVP of the Polynesian Bowl last weekend.
Not only was Matthews named the offensive MVP of the Polynesian Bowl, but he received a significant amount of praise from 247Sports for his performance during Polynesian Bowl practices leading up to the game.
"Matthews makes our top performers for the third day in a row and was also runner-up for Alpha Dog," wrote 247Sports' Greg Biggins last week after the third day of Polynesian Bowl practices. "At this point, we don’t have anything new to add about his game. It was the same show he has been putting on all week, elite level athlete making plays down the field and also showing polish and hands running routes in the intermediate part of the field."
Matthews performed at an elite level in an event where it wasn't necessary for him to perform at an elite level (he already signed Tennessee…he could've taken it easy in the event). And it happened to be his last event as a high school recruit. He checked all the boxes. And his recruiting ranking dropped. I can't make it make sense.
It's no wonder why Vols fans sometimes question if the media/recruiting services treat Tennessee commits differently than commits at programs like Alabama or Georgia….
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