Tennessee Vols get past one important offseason hurdle and fans should be excited
Tennessee Vols fans received the news they've been waiting all week for on Friday morning. According to VolQuest's Austin Price, Vols true freshman wide receiver Mike Matthews has decided to stick around at Tennessee instead of entering the NCAA transfer portal. Matthews, a former five-star recruit from Georgia, requested transfer papers last Saturday night just […]
Tennessee Vols fans received the news they've been waiting all week for on Friday morning.
According to VolQuest's Austin Price, Vols true freshman wide receiver Mike Matthews has decided to stick around at Tennessee instead of entering the NCAA transfer portal.
Matthews, a former five-star recruit from Georgia, requested transfer papers last Saturday night just before the portal closed.
After mulling over the decision all week, Matthews has elected to continue his career at Tennessee.
Matthews caught just seven passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns as a true freshman in 2024, but he's expected to be a key starter for Tennessee next fall. The 6-foot-1 wide receiver has NFL upside and he should help the Vols' offense take a big step forward in 2025.
There's been plenty of talk about why Matthews was entertaining the idea of entering the portal. VolQuest's Brent Hubbs told 104.5 The Zone's Ramon, Kayla, and Will on Friday that Matthews' decision didn't appear to be based on NIL money, but instead it's believed that the talented wide receiver had questions about his role in the offense.
"I think the conversations (between Matthews and Tennessee) have been much more about the offense and much more about his comfortableness with everything at Tennessee," said Hubbs on Friday morning. "How he's going to be used, playing time, and those types of things [more than] it has been about demands for more money."
Even with the news that Matthews is returning to Tennessee, the Vols will still likely look to add a wide receiver or two via the transfer portal. Alabama transfer wide receiver Amari Jefferson and USC transfer wide receiver Zachariah Branch loom as possibilities.
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