Tennessee Vols lose key recruit to Greg Schiano and Rutgers
The Tennessee Vols lost a key recruit this week to a coach who was almost UT's head coach seven years ago. 2025 four-star offensive lineman Jaelyne Matthews committed to Greg Schiano and Rutgers on Tuesday, just a little over a week after On3's Steve Wiltfong said Matthews was "trending" to Tennessee. "Offensive tackle Jaelyne Matthews […]
The Tennessee Vols lost a key recruit this week to a coach who was almost UT's head coach seven years ago.
2025 four-star offensive lineman Jaelyne Matthews committed to Greg Schiano and Rutgers on Tuesday, just a little over a week after On3's Steve Wiltfong said Matthews was "trending" to Tennessee.
"Offensive tackle Jaelyne Matthews is trending towards Tennessee but Syracuse will take a swing this weekend," noted On3's Steve Wiltfong in late May.
Matthews, 6-foot-5/305 lbs from Toms River, NJ, is rated by 247Sports as the No. 26 offensive tackle in the nation.
“The connection me and coach Schiano have is different,” said Matthews to On3 about his decision. “He is a great guy with the same principles and morals that my family has. He is going to train me to be the best man I can be off the field and push me to be the best football player I can be on the field."
Rutgers has always been in the mix for Matthews, but they were never viewed as a serious threat to land the New Jersey native.
Matthews took an unofficial visit to Tennessee in February.
While missing on Matthews is a tough loss for the Vols, there's a silver lining here — UT built a solid relationship with Matthews which could pay off if the talented offensive lineman ever enters the NCAA transfer portal.
It's a new era in college football and relationships built during the recruiting process can still pay off down the road in a major way.
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