Here Is The Path To Playing Time For Ole Miss Rebels Freshman Jase Matthews

He chose home over everything else. Now he just has to prove he belongs there.

Jase Matthews, the four-star wide receiver from Greene County High School in Leakesville, Mississippi, chose Ole Miss as the 13th best receiver in his class, per 247, and decided to come home after decommitting from Auburn in December of 2025.

He's 6-foot-2, with 33-inch arms, 10-inch hands, and the kind of catch radius that is a mismatch for any cornerback. Recruiting scouts compared his size, ball skills, and route-running tree to a young Garrett Wilson. The No. 13 wide receiver in the 2026 class, Matthews hauled in 68 receptions for 1,138 yards and 15 touchdowns during a breakout junior campaign that turned him into one of the most recruited players in the SEC footprint.

Then came the torn ACL.

Three games into his senior season — after catching nine passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns — Matthews' year ended. He was a Dandy Dozen preseason selection and a lock for another monster season. Instead, he spent the fall watching from the sideline while his future unfolded on other fields.

Despite the coaching change that sent Lane Kiffin, Charlie Weis Jr., and wide receivers coach George McDonald to Baton Rouge, Matthews stayed loyal to the program and the people who had stuck with him. He flipped from Auburn in the final hours of the Early Signing Period and signed with Pete Golding's Rebels — an in-state homecoming that made national headlines.

"After late last year I had to make some changes and I felt good here (at Ole Miss)," Matthews told Rebels247. "Getting to be there for a week and getting around it, I know I made the right choice. It's where I need to be."

Matthews is staying home

Now he looks to make an impact. — Jase Matthews chose to stay loyal to Pete Golding and Ole Miss. | Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The question now isn't whether Matthews can play at the SEC level — the tools have never been in doubt. The question is the knee.

But the incoming freshman is doing what he can to get healthy come next season.

"I've been attacking PT just trying to get it right back under me," Matthews said. "I think it's still too early to tell when. If I had to guess a time, I'd say around the summer."

If he's healthy by training camp, the opportunity in Oxford is real. Ole Miss' receiver room features portal additions but no established No. 1 — the kind of void a healthy Jase Matthews was built to fill. His ability to win on contested catches, create separation in and out of breaks, and be aligned in multiple spots gives Golding's offense a weapon.

Matthews chose home for a reason. And home is where he intends to make his name.

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