Josh Heupel hints that Tennessee Vols fans could finally get their wish in November
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel hinted that UT fans might finally get their wish in November. For the last month, it seems like everyone on Rocky Top — from fans to media — have been calling for true freshman wide receiver Mike Matthews to see more action. Matthews is a former five-star recruit who […]
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel hinted that UT fans might finally get their wish in November.
For the last month, it seems like everyone on Rocky Top — from fans to media — have been calling for true freshman wide receiver Mike Matthews to see more action.
Matthews is a former five-star recruit who was rated by 247Sports as the No. 6 wide receiver in the 2024 recruiting class.
The calls for Matthews to play more comes in the wake of Tennessee's recent offensive struggles combined with several other true freshmen wide receivers making a big impact in college football this season (Alabama's Ryan Williams, Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith, Texas' Ryan Wingo, etc).
On Monday, during his weekly press conference, Heupel was asked if Matthews is "building toward a bigger role on the back half of the season".
“Yeah, you know, Mike’s gotten some opportunities," said Heupel. "I feel like there’s a greater opportunity for execution at times when he’s out there — some of that’s the guys around him, some of that’s him, too. We need him to continue to come on and be a big part of what we’re doing here on the back-half of this conference season.”
Matthews has the highest ceiling of any receiver on Tennessee's roster. He could undoubtedly be a dangerous playmaker for the Vols as the program enters the final month of the season. But Matthews is going to have to play more than five snaps (like he did against Alabama) if he's going to have a legitimate chance to make an impact for the Vols.
It sounds like the opportunities might be there for Matthews over the final five games of the regular season. It's obviously on Matthews to make the most of those opportunities when they come, but I don't think there's any doubt that he deserves a chance to make an impact down the stretch for Tennessee.
