5-star Mike Matthews, family reflect on record-setting high school career which led to Tennessee

“He has always been very positive, very confident kid in everything he has done. He’s very competitive. He doesn’t like to lose. Doesn’t matter what it is. Even when we play family games, Michael always wants to win.”

Since a young age, 2024 Parkview High School (Ga.) standout Mike Matthews has excelled in everything he has done. He became a starter as a freshman in one of the toughest high school divisions in the country. He earned his first Power Five offer the following off-season. Since then, he has become a five-star recruit, All-American, and rewrote the Parkview record books as a receiver. 

A stellar high school career, resulting in more than 30 Division 1 offers, stemmed from being humbled early, a tenacious work ethic, and remaining loyal to those around him. In this exclusive interview, the Matthews family sits down with Volquest to reflect on the record-setting career and lengthy recruiting process, which eventually resulted in a commitment to Tennessee. 

Humbling Beginnings Fuel Long-Term Success

For the now five-star prospect, the game came naturally at an early age. However, starting around the time he was eight years old, it provided some humbling experiences along the way for Mike. Since then, he has used those experiences to fuel a relentless pursuit of perfection.  

“I think in your life things happen for a reason,” Lee Matthews, Mike’s father said. “Mike had some very humbling experiences as a younger kid that kind of set the stage and set the tone that makes him a humble kid now. For example, I always bring this up, and he hates to hear it; he made a GFL team, an All-Star team, and he was a receiver for FBU. FBU is big here in Georgia. All the best players. And we had to go to Naples. And he kind of had a big head. I would see some kids hurry up and do a rep, then run back in line, and Michael is laughing and joking with some other kids. And in middle school and some other schools he was so talented, when he got injured or when he got a finger or a toe (hurt) and would sit, they would say, ‘Oh Mike you ready to go back in the game’ or (he) would get carried off the field and bring him back and score three touchdowns. So when he had this big head at the time, and we went to FBU, everyone was talented just like him, so he came from being a receiver, and he was complaining about his elbow hurting during that time, so they weren’t coming over to him saying you ready to go back in. It was next man up.”

The unconcerned effort from the youngster in Naples during this FBU setting set the stage for an early humbling experience.  

“And to this day, I want to get this picture framed and I want him to take it to college with him, so he has that same kind of humbleness with him. He became the kicker on the team,” Lee continued. “And we have a picture of him, like this (hand raised), at FBU, being the kicker. Now as parents, we were pissed, because we spent all our time and energy going to Naples to see him play and our son becomes the kicker. So I think that experience right there kind of set the stage and made him look at things a little differently in life and have a little humbling attitude.”

His mother, Regina Matthews, saw her son start to evolve after that experience in Naples. To this day, it has played a vital role in his athletic career and daily life. 

“Michael has pretty much excelled in everything he has done,” Regina Matthews said. “He has played soccer. He has played baseball. In little league baseball, he would be the one kid who was trying to play everyone’s position. He could be the pitcher but he would run out in the outfield to try and get the ball and run it all the way back. He has always been full of energy. So, I think like my husband said when he would start seeing that he was one of the better players, he would kind of take that on a little too seriously and take it a little bit too far.

“After that experience with FBU, he has really evolved,” she continued. “He has always been an energetic kid, so as soon as he wakes up, he is gone. I think his hard work ethic comes from him always playing a sport. He has been busy year-round. He is always staying busy, whether it’s basketball, or traveling with his AAU team, the Atlanta Celtics. They won a national championship. He has met a lot of people at different levels, and I think he has really evolved over the years. Then, as parents, we are both competitors. We both played basketball, and yes, we wanted him to play basketball, but we saw the opportunities would be really unique if he continued to play football.”

Since, Mike has leaned on his parents along the way, as he says their support has made sure to keep him level-headed. 

“Really, I would say talking to my parents,” Mike said of how he was able to stay humble throughout his high school career and recruiting process. “They gave me a lot of tips and pointers. I didn’t want to lose my head. I knew I couldn’t take anything for granted and had to make the most out of the opportunities.”

Freshman Season Signals Start of Stellar Career

Not many freshmen have the opportunity to play in 7A football in the state of Georgia, let alone start. Still, for Mike, there was no concern about being just 14-years-old and going up against some of the nation’s top upperclassmen. He was hungry for an opportunity to make his mark at Parkview, and when one presented itself, he was ready. Just as his parents had always told him to be.

“I think Michael has always had this big personality and he was always fearless, even when he was a toddler,” Regina said. “I mean, there was nothing Michael couldn’t do. There was nothing he was fearful of. I mean, he broke his arm a few times, jumping around on couches, thinking he was Spiderman. He has always been very positive, very confident kid in everything he has done. He’s very competitive. He doesn’t like to lose. Doesn’t matter what it is. Even when we play family games, Michael always wants to win. Even though it is actually me who wins.

“But to just see him as a freshman, I knew. This is what we told him, ‘always stay ready so you never have to get ready.’ So we told him, basically, you don’t know when your opportunity is going to arrive, so just be ready to fit into whatever slot you have to fit in to get on the field. And that’s exactly what happened.”

The jump from middle school to high school was also humbling for Mike, as he had dominated the Gwinnett County Middle School scene, but found himself on the sideline looking on initially as a freshman. Lee believes the early opportunity and success his son found as a freshman reiterated that his hard work was finally paying off. 

“I think it was really assurance for him to know that his hard work was starting to pay off,” Lee said. “He really had a humbling experience coming from middle school to high school because he used to dominate middle school. And then he came to high school and had to sit on the bench. Played the highest level players, as she mentioned, and just being ready for when the opportunity presented itself and the opportunity did present itself. Somebody got injured and they put him in. I think the first time they put him in, he got two interceptions that kind of sealed the game. So, seeing him going through those transitions, having some adversity, overcoming that adversity, and knowing his hard work is starting to pay off.”

First Offer Kicks Off National Recruitment and Leads to Eventual Tennessee Commitment 

Following his freshman season, it did not take long for Matthews to start garnering serious attention on the recruiting scene. In February of his freshman year of high school, he picked up his first football offer from Georgia Tech. Before his sophomore year of school started, he also had a Divison 1 basketball offer from Mississippi State. 

As things started to pick up quickly on all fronts, Mike made sure he looked back on those humbling experiences and kept the ultimate goal in focus. 

“It was really unbelievable,” Mike said of this. “Not a lot of people get offered their freshman year, so I know it was different that I was able to receive that. It was such a blessing. I didn’t let that boost my head, but it really did set the tone, and showed me that I got one, let me get as many as I can.”

As his recruitment unfolded, the process got stressful at times along the way for the standout commitment. At the end of the day, he wanted to find a culture that was the right fit for himself and his family. That fit was Josh Heupel’s Tennessee program. 

“It is a relief to have my mindset straight that I am going to Tennessee and going to start putting the work in to get better and be the best player I can be there,” Mike said. “I cannot wait to get up there and get this next chapter started.”

For his parents, there is a similar sense of relief, as they feel Mike is in good hands at Tennessee. 

“Super excited. We are keeping the same school color scheme, so still having the Orange and White is great,” Lee said. “We are excited to see him on Rocky Top. That fanbase there has been amazing. They are already super defensive of him. If anyone says something about him on social media, I will read it as a parent and I’m like, ‘Woah, here comes the Vol Nation.’ I just sit back and watch. I am super excited to see him play the next level. He has always been the type of kid who likes to prove other people wrong and prove who he is as a player on and off the field. We are excited to see him at the next level.

“Tennessee has a great coaching staff,” Regina said. “I really credit a lot of his decision to his relationship with Coach Pope. Schools can offer things like national championships, or having a history of doing XYZ in the ACC or SEC, what have you, but when it came down to it with Mike, it was relationships. That was big for him. It was very important for him to feel comfortable. It is very important for us too once we drop him off. We feel between coach Heupel and coach [Kelsey] Pope, and really a lot of the people on staff there, it is going to be a really good fit for him. Rocky Top is the place. “

Loyalty Leads to Rewriting Record Books

In today’s day and age, the loyalty of student-athletes at each level is called into question. From swapping through 7v7 teams to transferring multiple times in high school, to utilizing the transfer portal at the college level, loyalty has certainly changed over the last few years. 

For Mike, there were opportunities to leave Parkview and go elsewhere. He could have teamed up with elite quarterbacks in the Peach State, or transferred out of the state to a national private school, but he chose to stay home and work through adversity. Needless to say, it paid off.  

In September, No.4 became the No.1 receiver in the Parkview High School record books. Matthews finished his career with 25 touchdowns and 2,545 yards on 135 receptions.

“I think you hit the nail on the head with the loyalty part,” Lee said of his son’s decision to stick with Parkview. “He has been with the same basketball team since sixth grade. We did have opportunities when [Dylan] Raiola came out here. Then, of course, he is good friends with Air Noland and good friends with JuJu [Julian Lewis], so of course, all of those guys were like, ‘hey, come over here.’ But Mike wanted to stick it out because he has been through the trenches with these guys. Most of these guys here at Parkview, we had a huge rebuilding year after their freshman year, and all of those guys were in the trenches together from that year when they were freshmen, through the rebuilding phase. Not just Mike, but a lot of these guys all just hung in here together.”

Regina believes the loyalty her son displayed throughout his high school career also played a vital part throughout his recruitment.

“There were plenty of teams we talked to coming out of middle school even,” she said. “With recruiting, I have always told Mike, ‘follow your inner compass. If it feels right to you, that is probably the right situation.’ With recruiting, as you said, it started his freshman year, and it still goes on, even today. I prayed for him because you can be overwhelmed when you have 30+ offers. At one point, I told him, ‘Mike, when you know it is the right school, you will know it is the right school.’ He is one of the kids, who it was never about NIL. For him, it was where do I fit in? What culture is conducive to me? Where can I make an impact? It has done well for him.”

The soon-to-be Tennessee signee could have stuffed the stat sheet at any program he opted for. But the desire to be around the people who had been there for him, no matter the situation, always won out in the end. 

“It really meant a lot to do it with my brothers,” he said of the accomplishment. “We had been together since freshman year and we had been through everything together. I would have rather stayed with the people around me who have been with me the whole way than go be around people I haven’t known. I would rather go out with loyalty than leave for what a better option could potentially be.”

Mike’s next stop is Tennessee as he is set to join the Vols for bowl practices later this month. He plans to officially sign with the Vols on December 20 once the Early Signing Period opens. He will also play in the Under Armour All-American Game and Polynesian Bowl later this winter.