5-star WR Mike Matthews commits to Tennessee: 'Everyone is bought in'

Crazy would be the best way Lilburn (Ga.) Parkview five-star wide receiver Mike Matthews would describe his recruitment. At one point he’d like one school more and then after awhile it would be another.

It wasn’t until his official visits that things began to clear up. Georgia became the leader in Matthews’ mind for a bit but that lasted until he took his official to Tennessee on June 23. That visit proved to Matthews where he needed to be and that stuck as he announced his pledges to the Volunteers over Clemson, Georgia and USC Wednesday night.

“What makes Tennessee right for me are the culture, the tenacity that everyone has there, how crazy the fan base is and the offense,” Matthews told On3. “Everyone is bought into what Tennessee is doing and they have great support. Their fans have also always stood out to me.

…Tennessee’s offense may have been the biggest thing for me. They will throw the ball and allow me to show my talents and that was very important to me. Going to Tennessee will give me a great opportunity to produce on the field.”

Josh Heupel played a key role in landing Matthews

Since coming to Tennessee, Josh Heupel’s helped the Volunteers establish one of the most explosive and high-powered offenses in all of college football. That appealed to Matthews as the Volunteers continued their recruitment of him.

Heupel played an active role in Matthews’ recruitment and that instantly made an impact on the 6-foot-0.5, 180-pound pass-catcher.

“Coach Josh Heupel was very involved with me,” said Matthews, the No. 14 player in the country. “He’s one of the coaches I have talked the most to during my recruiting process. We talk all of the time and he treats me like family.

…I like his competitive spirit, he’s hungry to win and they showed a lot last year and the program is going up.”

Matthews also noted that Tennessee’s receivers coach Kelsey Pope is the coach he might be closest to of any who recruited him. As young as he is, Matthews found him as one of the most-easy to relate to.

“He’s younger, we relate to each other and he is down to earth,” Matthews said. “As a coach, he knows what it takes to improve and he really helped all of his players get better last season. He knows his players, he wants the best for them and he works his players and sticks by them.

…I like Coach Pope a lot and my feelings about him helped Tennessee a lot.”