5-Star Cornerback Samari Matthews Talks Oregon Offer, Updates Recruitment
Oregon's 2026 recruiting class currently has just one verbal commitment, but the coaching staff in Eugene is going after top talent at just about every position to grow the class.
2026 Cornelius (NC) Williams Amos Hough cornerback Samari Matthews is one of the latest offers for Oregon and spoke with Ducks Digest about his thoughts on the offer and the latest in his recruitment.
"My reaction was very surprised. It was very exciting too," Matthews said of the offer from the Ducks. "Growing up Oregon was one of the schools I always dreamed of going to when they had (Marcus) Mariota and De'Anthony Thomas and all them. So being able to have the offer is definitely exciting and I definitely look forward to going up there and talking to Coach (Rashad) Wadood in person and seeing the whole staff."
Oregon was playing great football when Matthews was growing up and has continued to play at a high level, so it's no surprise the 6-foot-1, 185-pound defensive back has a great impression of the Ducks.
"My impression of Oregon is they're definitely a powerhouse to me. They definitely dominated all the games I watched. They definitely showed me good on the defensive back wise, the back end. The D-line wasn't as bad, so I definitely like Oregon."
Matthews had a chance to watch some Oregon games last year and referenced the play of the defensive backs when discussing what stands out most about Dan Lanning's program.
"Definitely how physical the DBs play," he said. "When I watched a few games the DBs definitely had some dog in them, they weren't afraid to press. But they could also do multiple things within their coverage. So I'm definitely impressed by how the coaches play the defense and how the players adapt to it."
With the dead period coming to an end later this week, the North Carolina product has a handful of schools he plans to see in the future.
"Currently I'm going to Clemson for sure, NC State, West Virginia, Tennesse and Miami."
There aren't any plans to get out to Eugene just yet, but a trip sounds likely.
"I think down the line me and my Dad will probably settle on a date that would work for both of us to go down there and get to visit," Matthews said.
Despite garnering nearly 30 reported scholarship offers, he thinks his recruitment is just getting started.
So what's it like being one of the most sought-after recruits in the country?
"It's definitely fun. Just very interesting to me," Matthews said of the recruiting process. "I love going to the schools and meeting new coaches. Some of the other recruits I get to meet on visits, talking to some of the players at the schools is very fun. It can get stressful at times. Right now I'm just taking it slow, having fun with it until it really starts getting serious."
As spring approaches Matthews is running track with his high school and playing his 7on7 football with the Carolina Stars.
The talented defensive back primarily runs sprints but we could see him get involved with relays moving forward.
"Currently last year in the 200 (meters) I think I went 22.9/22.8 and then the 100 I would say around 11.5/11.4," he said of his top times.
Samari Matthews on who he is off the football field
"He's definitely a fun guy to be around. Trying to bring up the mood for everybody. But also he's a cool guy to hang around. Gets along with everybody. Never really had like a bad report."
Oregon's 2025 Recruiting Class
- 4* WR Dallas Wilson (Tampa, FL)
- 4* WR Adrian Wilson (Pflugerville, TX)
- 4* QB Akili Smith Jr. (San Diego, CA)
- 3* EDGE Matthew Johnson (Concord, Calif.)
- 3* OL Chavez "Sandman" Thompson (Melbourne, FL)
