Vols add to promoted class with 5th-ranked Matthews

• Blake Baumgartner, ESPN Staff WriterJul 19, 2023, 07:53 PM ET

Five-star athlete Mike Matthews committed to Tennessee on Wednesday.Matthews, a three-sport(football, basketball, track) and two-way star on the football field for Parkview High School (Georgia), adds to a blossoming class for Josh Heupel and the Volunteers that ESPN has ranked 14th.

The Volunteers now have 9 ESPN 300 dedicates, and Matthews, ranked No. 5 overall by ESPN, would be the highest-ranked prospect the program has signed since offensive tackle Darnell Wright (No. 5 general) in 2019. Matthews is the program’s first luxury devote given that Wright and offensive deal with Wanya Morris (No. 9 total) in 2019.

Editor’s Picks

2 Associated

Tennessee protected Matthews’ dedication over Georgia, Alabama, Clemson and USC. He took his official visit to Knoxville from June 23 to June 25– the last one he took after formerly visiting Clemson, Georgia and USC.Matthews went to Tennessee for its unforgettable 52-49 victory over the Crimson Tide last October, returned for a junior day in January and then took in spring practice in April.He told ESPN in February that getting the chance to take a seat with Volunteers pass receivers coach Kelsey Pope was”the best part”of his January visit.Matthews’ presence will contribute to an offensive attack at Tennessee that ranked No. 1 in the FBS in total offense (525.5 YPG )and 5th nationally in passing (326.1 YPG)last season. 5 players, paced by Jalin Hyatt’s 67 receptions, hauled in a minimum of 30 passes as Heupel’s vibrant offense spread the wealth.The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Matthews captured 48 passes for 1,031 lawns and 10 touchdowns as a receiver while tape-recording 23 takes on and obstructing two passes at safety last season for a Parkview team that went 8-4.