Tennessee Vols coach eases transfer concern about key player that's popped up over the last couple of weeks
Over the last few weeks, fans and media members have called for the Tennessee Vols to give true freshman wide receiver Mike Matthews more snaps. Matthews is a former five-star recruit who was rated as one of the top players in the 2024 recruiting class. Several other true freshmen wide receivers around the country are […]
Over the last few weeks, fans and media members have called for the Tennessee Vols to give true freshman wide receiver Mike Matthews more snaps.
Matthews is a former five-star recruit who was rated as one of the top players in the 2024 recruiting class.
Several other true freshmen wide receivers around the country are thriving this season — most notably Alabama's Ryan Williams and Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith — yet Matthews only has two receptions for 35 yards this season.
The feeling from fans/media is that giving Matthews more snaps could help provide a spark for Tennessee's offense.
There's also some speculative concern that Matthews could hit the transfer portal if he doesn't start seeing the field more.
On Tuesday, Vols wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope was asked about Matthews. Pope was quick to point out that Matthews is "working his butt off" and "staying positive".
“Mike, he's flashed at times," said Pope. "He’s got a really bright future here. I think a lot of stuff comes with experience, right? Like, (being a) freshman in this league is hard. There’s growing pains in this league. I think as long as he continues to do what he’s doing — he’s staying positive, he’s working his butt off. I think as long as he continues to do those things, it’s only a matter of time before he starts to see the plays being made that he wants. And that’s the thing, he wants to make plays, he wants to be on the field in critical situations, and he wants to get better. And his attitude as of late has been awesome and that’s what he’s working towards.”
Pope was specifically asked how Matthews has handled seeing Williams and Smith play significant roles in their respective offenses while he's mostly been relegated to the bench through the first seven games of his college career.
According to Pope, Matthews has done a great job of not paying attention to what's happening around the country in college football.
"I think older guys are critical in those type of situations," explained Pope. "Like this age we live in now, everything is visible. You can see everything all across the country right at the blink of an eye. That absolutely has an effect on it. But what these guys gotta learn at a young age is, man, I've got to run my own race, right? My race is different from this guy playing here or this guy playing here. You ultimately don’t know where you or them will end up. But what happens is if I’m looking at someone else’s plate, and I’m not looking at my own food, then my food gets cold and I’m not able to take advantage of my own opportunities. And what that kid has done, he’s done an incredible job of not paying attention to outside factors. He could be, but at least around me, around this building, he’s dialed in, he’s got a great attitude, he’s hungry.
"That [doesn't] mean he’s not frustrated — he’s hungry and that’s all I can ask for. Like I said, he’s got a really bright future here because he’s got that attitude and it’s only a matter of time before he starts to make those plays.”"
There's no doubt that Matthews is eager to see more playing time, but it doesn't sound like this is a situation where the young wide receiver is upset or mad. He understands that his situation is different than Williams' situation at Alabama or Smith's situation at Ohio State.
Still, it would behoove the Vols to find a way to get Matthews more involved in the offense. He's a dynamic player with an extremely high ceiling. Finding a way to get Matthews the ball in space could lead to Tennessee's offense hitting more often on explosive plays during the final month of the regular season.
