Tennessee WR Mike Matthews returning to play for Vols in 2025

Tennessee wide receiver and former five-star recruit Mike Matthews will not be entering the NCAA Transfer Portal after all. Matthews has decided to remain at Tennessee and will play for the Volunteers in 2025, according to On3’s Austin Price. He revealed the news on the Volquest message board.

Matthews had previously made the decision to enter the transfer portal last week after the Vols season ended with a loss to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff.

Matthews was a freshman wideout for the Vols in 2024, seeing some action in the team’s receiver rotation. He logged seven catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns during the season, playing in 10 contests. Matthews also saw some limited work on returns, taking one kickoff back for 32 yards.

Prior to enrolling at Tennessee, Matthews was ranked as a five-star-plus prospect, checking in as the No. 26 overall recruit in the nation in the 2024 recruiting class, per the On3 Industry Rankings. He also checked in as the No. 6 receiver in the class and the No. 4 overall player from the state of Georgia, hailing from Lilburn (GA) Parkview.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

Tennessee transfer WR Squirrel White visiting Florida State

While Mike Matthews never ended up entering the transfer portal, one player who did is Squirrel White. The former Vols wideout is set to visit Florida State, according to On3’s Pete Nakos.

White played in 38 career games with the Volunteers and caught 131 passes for 1,665 yards and six touchdowns. His best season came in 2023 when he caught 67 passes for 803 yards and two touchdowns.

The Seminoles are looking to add to their wide receiver room after having multiple departures, including Malik Benson, Deuce Spann and Destyn Hill. Florida State has already added Boston College transfer quarterback Thomas Castellanos and USC transfer wide receiver Duce Robinson.

Squirrel White was slowed in 2024 due to several injuries. He was banged up earlier in the season and was on the injury report through much of October but he did not miss a game this season, despite the ailments. Resultingly, White had a career-low 381 receiving yards in 2024, on 34 catches.

White was a four-star prospect in the 2021 signing class. He played high school football at Clay-Chalkville (Al.) High School where he was the No. 371 overall prospect in the class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

On3’s Pete Nakos contributed to this report