Tennessee Vols broke out a smart recruiting strategy with 5-star WR Mike Matthews
The Tennessee Vols are viewed by On3's Josh Newberg as the program most likely to land 2024 five-star wide receiver Mike Matthews, the No. 10 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class. "I have a pick in for Mike Matthews to Tennessee," said Newberg this week. "I feel even better about that pick coming out […]
The Tennessee Vols are viewed by On3's Josh Newberg as the program most likely to land 2024 five-star wide receiver Mike Matthews, the No. 10 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class.
"I have a pick in for Mike Matthews to Tennessee," said Newberg this week. "I feel even better about that pick coming out of his [official] visit (to Tennessee) than I did heading in."
One reason why the Vols have so much momentum with Matthews after this past weekend is because of recruiting strategy Tennessee deployed with the five-star wide receiver.
Tennessee hosted numerous key recruits on visits this past weekend. Matthews was obviously one of the headliners. And the Vols made sure he was around all of the main players all weekend.
Matthews told 247Sports that he mostly hung out with true freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava, the No. 1 player in the 2023 recruiting class. He was also with one of the Vols' most recent commits, four-star athlete Boo Carter.
"We spent time on the water," said Matthews to 247Sports. "Then we went to Heupel's house and had a nice little breakfast. I was with Boo (Carter), Nico (Iamaleava), pretty much all the players. It was a really good time."
"Just talking to the players really made it feel different," added Matthews. "Where it was before the new coaches got here, it wasn't really that good. They told me that the coaching staff really changed it here and made it a true home and a true family."
That might not seem like a big deal. It might seem like a small detail that doesn't matter. But it's really a small detail that could lead to a big result. Not every program takes care of the little details the way Josh Heupel and his staff do. They made sure that Matthews was around Nico, who will likely be the quarterback that Matthews will be catching passes from if he commits to Tennessee. They also made sure Matthews was around Carter, who turned into a key recruiter for the Vols after his recent commitment to Tennessee. Carter's energy with recruits should prove to be invaluable to the Vols during this recruiting cycle.
Tennessee could be on the verge of a historic recruiting class. The Vols are in a good position for several elite recruits aside from Matthews.
And they're in this position because Heupel and his staff have made recruiting a top priority. They aren't just going through the motions, they're attacking the recruiting trail with a high level or energy and purpose.
That might not mean that Tennessee lands a better class than Alabama or Georgia during this recruiting cycle, but the Vols are well on their way to being one of the handful of premier destinations in college football for top recruits.
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Featured image via Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
