Why Mike Matthews Needs to Have a Breakout Season for the Tennessee Volunteers

Why Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Mike Matthews needs to have a breakout season for the Volunteers in 2025.

Tennessee wide receiver Mike Matthews (10) warms up before the Orange & White spring game, Saturday, April 12, 2025. | Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Why Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Mike Matthews needs to have a breakout season for the Volunteers in 2025.

The Tennessee Volunteers are 100 days aaway from the beginning of their 2025 college football season and are looking to build upon last year's College Football Playoff appearance. But in order to do so, the Volunteers will overcome a handful of challenges.

One of the main challenges the team faces, is finding a reliable wide receiver to aid transfer quarterback Joey Aguilar, who joined the Vols in the spring following Nico Iamaleava's dramtic departure. The biggest candidate to do so is sophomore wide receiver Mike Matthews.

Matthews was a 4-star commit in the Volunteers' 2024 recruiting class and was expected to become an immediate weapon for Heupels offense. He would finish the year with just 90 yards from seven receptions.

Placing lofty expectations on an incoming freshman can be somewhat unfair to players, and Matthews has certainly not hit "bust" territory just yet. But if there were a time for the Tennessee wide receiver to have a breakout season, it would be this year.

With the departure of leading rusher Dylan Sampson and the transfer of Nico Iamaleava, a plethora of questions has emerged regarding the Vols weapons heading into 2025. With that, Matthews becoming the "go-to" guy for Heupels offense may not only be extremely helpful, it may be a necessity should they have aspirations of reaching the College Football Playoff.

Matthews and the Vols will begin their 2025 season in Atlanta as they face the Syracuse Orange at noon on Saturday, August 30th. This will be the fourth all-time meeting between these two programs in a series that Tennessee controls 3-0. It will be the teams' first matchup since 2001.

Follow Our Social Media Pages:

• Follow Tennessee on SI on Twitter: @VolsOnSI
• Follow Tennessee on SI on Facebook: @VOLS on SI

Follow Our Staff:

• Follow Caleb Sisk On Twitter: @CalebSisk_
• Follow Tanner Johnson On Twitter: @JohnsonTanner23_
• Follow Jonathan Williams On Twitter: @DR_JWill
• Follow Evan Crowell On Twitter: @evanvcrowell
• Follow Brooks Austin On Twitter: @BrooksAustinBA
• Follow Josh Greer On Twitter: @JSGreer731

Follow Our Website

Make sure to follow our website Tennessee on SI.

OTHER TENNESSEE NEWS

• REPORT: Transfer Price for Nico Iamaleava Rapidly Dropping
• What We Learned About the Tennessee Volunteers During Spring Practice
• NCAA Transfer Portal Needs that Must Be Addressed by Tennessee Football
• North Carolina Football Reportedly "Out of the Mix" for Tennessee's Nico Iamaleava
• Tennessee Football 2026 Target G'nivre Carr Recaps Tennessee Spring Game Visit
• Who’s Next for Tennessee Football at Quarterback?
• Tennessee Football Linebacker Target Brayden Rouse Recaps Tennessee Spring Visit
• Tennessee's Elijah Simmons Labeled One of the Biggest Sleepers for 2025 NFL Draft
• Where Will Nico Iamaleava Transfer - Options For Vols Transfer QB Limited
• Latest NCAA Baseball Rankings: Tennessee Volunteers Rise Up a Spot
• Former Tennessee Quarterback Comments on Nico Iamaleava Transferring
• Tennessee Players Threatened to Sit Out of Playoff Game Over NIL, Including Iamaleava