Jordan Matthews Has Switched Rivalry Allegiance, Is Finding Consistent Playing Time

NASHVILLE—Vanderbilt cornerback Jordan Matthews isn’t native to the idea that he’s the second most famous person with his name in Vanderbilt’s program.

The Vanderbilt cornerback shares a name with former Vanderbilt receiver and All-American Jordan Matthews, who currently helps the team in an informal role as he hopes to receive a call from an NFL team that wants his services. In the meantime, they’ve cultivated a relationship beyond their names.

“He’s definitely taken me under his wing,” Matthews, the Vanderbilt corner, said. “It’s just been really cool learning from him and just getting certain bits because he’s played receiver and I’m on the other side, so he gives me certain stuff during practice that I can learn. He’s been a really big help in my process.”

It appears as if the Matthews to Matthews advice has paid off as the Vanderbilt cornerback has played a total of 82 snaps through the Commodores 4-0 start to the season. For the first time in his career, Matthews has become a rotational player.

It took Matthews taking a leap of faith and knowing that he’d have to endure some angst for that to happen, though. Matthews played his first two college seasons at Tennessee before transferring to Vanderbilt in the winter.

Matthews knew the intensity of the rivalry, but he was more than happy to make the transition.

“I embrace the fact that I’m on the other side of it and now the winning side of it,” Matthews said. “It's actually been pretty cool. Definitely some of my guys back at Tennessee like to give me some stuff for it and then some people here are giving me some stuff for it, too. But I feel like it's a nice rivalry.  It's deep and rich.”

Matthews says that he knew “what to expect” in terms of the backlash he’d receive for leaving Tennessee in favor of Vanderbilt and has worked to handle the talk of the rivalry maturely rather than “giving people stuff.” The current Vanderbilt cornerback likely has the Commodores’ Saturday Nov. 29 matchup with the Volunteers circled on his schedule, but is working to take it one game at a time as it currently stands.

The Vanderbilt cornerback says he didn’t know that Vanderbilt was set to travel to Tuscaloosa to face No. 17 Alabama in two weeks and that he’s been focused solely on doing his part to help take down Utah State on Saturday. That’s the life these days for Matthews–who missed a significant chunk of fall camp with an injury–as he works to stay on the field consistently.

Matthews didn’t have much of an opportunity to prove himself while injured in the fall, but appears to be finding his role and health midway through his first season at Vanderbilt.

“I feel like I’m 100%,” Matthews said. “I feel like it was a real learning experience because I feel like at Tennessee I kind of went through battling for playing time there and then here I went through the little injuries. So I feel like God gave me obstacles in my way, but I found a way to overcome them and to just make plays.”