Mike Matthews Shines During First National Look

Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Mike Matthews made big plays all afternoon during the "Orange and White" scrimmage.

Tennessee wide receiver Mike Matthews (89) does a touchdown celebration dance during Tennessee's | Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA

Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Mike Matthews made big plays all afternoon during the "Orange and White" scrimmage.

Tennessee wide receiver Mike Matthews ranked as the No. 26 prospect in the 2024 class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. He was the No. 6 pass catcher in America and had a ton of hype entering his freshman season at the University of Tennessee. The Vols have a loaded wide receiver room with much experience, so there was a question about how he would factor in during his true freshman season. During Saturday's "Orange and White" scrimmage, he clarified some of those questions.

He had a long touchdown that flashed the athleticism and ball tracking skills, but Matthews made plays all throughout the afternoon. I was quite impressed with how consistently he won at the line of scrimmage; the body control was strong coming out of high school, but he continues to improve athletically. The former basketball standout looks to be an immediate weapon on jump balls downfield.

Matthews also made several crucial blocks on the outside that sprung teammates for big games. Tennessee's coaching staff is adamament that they have five to six players they're comfortable trotting out against SEC football teams, and Matthews looks to be one of those names. We'll see how he factors into the rotation, but the future looks bright for the young Georgian.

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