‘I don’t know what’s going on with him’ – Insider drops some very interesting comments about Tennessee Vols WR Mike Matthews
Tennessee Vols wide receiver Mike Matthews, a former five-star recruit, will be a junior on Rocky Top this fall.
Tennessee Vols wide receiver Mike Matthews is coming off a sophomore season that saw him finish No. 11 in the SEC in receiving yards (53 receptions for 813 yards and four touchdowns).
That’s a pretty good second season in the SEC.
And yet one insider who covered Matthews as a high school recruit is wondering what’s wrong with the former five-star recruit.
On3’s Rusty Mansell, who has covered the Georgia Bulldogs for over a decade, joined That SEC Podcast last week at SEC Media Days in Tampa and was effusive in his praise for Matthews — to the extent that Mansell thinks the junior wide receiver hasn’t even scratched the surface of what he’s capable of.
“I don’t know what’s going on with him, but I know as a player, that dude’s a baller,” said Mansell. “If I’m Josh Heupel this offseason, we’re figuring out what we can do to make sure we use this kid — because he’s wired different. [He has] unbelievable speed and he’s a tough ass kid. I think Mike Matthews could’ve played corner. You’ve got to figure that out. Quarterback play is obviously going to tell the tale there with Tennessee. It’s such a quarterback-driven offense. When they’ve been good, when Heupel’s been good, he’s had a guy. Do they have a guy? I don’t know yet. We’re all going to find out.
“But I am extremely confident in Mike Matthews. I will beat on the table for him. This is a big year. You’ve got to make sure you use this kid. … I know what this kid is, and I know this kid can fly. I know he’s tough. [He has] great change of direction and great hands. … It’s so good to watch Mike run routes. When he makes a cut and you don’t have to change speeds? He can go now. He can go.”
Mansell saw Matthews up close plenty as a high school player at Parkview, so he knows the Georgia native’s journey as well as anyone. And if you listen to the clip of Mansell’s comments (in the video above near the end), you can hear the conviction in his voice while discussing Matthews.
Matthews had some plays last season that he’d like to have back — some tough drops — but his talent is obvious. And so is his toughness. He’s a complete receiver.
I point this out as often as I can, but I think it’s worth pointing out again: players develop at different paces. Matthews faced a lot of pressure coming out of high school as a highly touted (and highly paid) recruit. Then he didn’t play as much during his true freshman season as everyone expected him to. Dealing with all of that while still developing as a player can lead to some uneven moments of growth. Just because a player is getting paid seven figures before he turns 21 years old doesn’t mean he’s suddenly going to develop dramatically faster. That’s not how development works.
2026 could be a huge season for Matthews as he and redshirt sophomore Braylon Staley step into bigger roles with Chris Brazzell off to the NFL. After hearing Mansell’s comments about Matthews, it sounds like the best is yet to come for the talented young receiver.