Tennessee Volunteers trending for 5-star WR Mike Matthews

The race for Lilburn (Ga.) Parkview five-star wide receiver Mike Matthews is one that’s starting to come down to a few standout schools. According to Matthews, those schools are Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Tennessee and USC.

Matthews told On3’s Chad Simmons at the On3 NIL Elite Series presented by Mizuno that his recruitment is heading into the “final stage”. Entering that final stage, one team has emerged as a heavy favorite to land Matthews’ pledge according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM).

Following recent industry updates, that school clear at the top is Tennessee. The Volunteers sit with a 78% chance to land Matthews’ pledge according to the RPM with Clemson sitting in a distant second at 7.8%.

“The only game I’ve been to there is the Tennessee-Alabama game and I did not regret it,” Matthews told Simmons. “The whole fanbase was in there. It was a huge game and I really got to see their Air Raid offense. Jalin Hyatt had six receptions for five touchdowns and 200 yards. That’s crazy, that means he’s scoring pretty much every time he touches the ball.

“Just to have that explosiveness and that type of opportunity to be able to make plays like that is really big.”

He’ll head to Knoxville on June 23 for an official visit. Matthews will also take officials to Clemson (June 2), Georgia (June 9) and USC (June 17).

Matthews has visited Tennessee three other times including twice this year on Jan. 14 and April 3.

The 6-foot-0.5, 180-pounder is the No. 10 overall prospect and No. 3 wide receiver in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 2 player in Georgia.

Matthews would be a massive win for Heupel’s offense

A commitment from Matthews would just be another win for Josh Heupel and his coaching staff in what’s already been a successful cycle so far for the Vols.

Tennessee currently has 12 commitments in its 2024 class. Their class ranks as the No. 9 class in the country and No. 5 in the SEC.

Half of Tennessee’s class is made up of offensive players with the class highlighted by top-75 quarterback Jake Merklinger, four-star wide receiver JJ Harrell, four-star tight end Jonathan Echols and four-star running back Peyton Lewis.

The new year has also been kind to Heupel on the recruiting trail. Since the start of 2023, Tennessee’s landed nine new pledges and the Vols are in the mix for several more of the nation’s top prospects.