There is no question that Tennessee is a better football team with receiver Mike Matthews in the fold…as long as the Vols didn’t give up too much to keep him in orange.
Matthews, the highly touted high school prospect who has yet to live up to his billing after one year of college football, seemed to be out the door earlier this week with a handful of other Vols as the annual trek to the transfer portal takes place. Despite initial concerns, Matthews has decided to remain a Vol instead, according to multiple reports.
I’m not sure what Matthews was thinking as he contemplated bolting Knoxville, but I feel like it probably falls into one of the following categories: coaching, money or playing time. Any of the above is cause for concern, especially since the door of opportunity has swung wide open for Matthews.
Thanks to expired eligibility or the transfer portal, the Vols’ once intimidating receiving corp is a shell of itself. Tennessee entered last season with depth and star power. At least that what we thought. The Vols’ receivers fell well short of preseason expectations. Some of the blame has to fall on receivers coach Kelsey Pope.
Depending on who you believe, Pope either had chemistry issues with his group of players, or the Vols just had a down year at slot and wideout, partly due to injury. Former Vol wideouts Bru McCoy and Dont’e Thornton were both slowed or sidelined due to various nagging injuries. Moreover, one has to wonder if McCoy has the same explosiveness he had before his very serious leg injury suffered last season. Health certainly wouldn’t be Pope’s fault.
Former Vol Squirrel White, who is in the portal and a target of Florida State’s, dealt with a shoulder injury all season. That wasn’t due to a coaching shortcoming.
I tend to side with Pope. He coached a Biletnikoff Winner in Jalin Hyatt and has led his receivers to stand out years in which – until this season – they have exceeded expectations. So does Matthews have a problem with Pope? If so, it might be time for Matthews to hit the bricks. Programs are built on players, yes, but coaches ultimately have to be in control.
Matthews could also be looking for more playing time, and, this time around, he’ll want it promised. That leads to a whole other issue. What if Matthews has a poor offseason? Does he still garner the playing time that he may have negotiated? How would his teammates react if he were awarded for negotiating instead of practicing.
These kinds of negotiations are nothing new. Players were always trying to improve their offseason standing but didn’t have the ability to transfer to another school and be eligible immediately. That has changed the balance of power.
It’s hard for me not to wonder if this just all came down to cold, hard cash. Did Matthews just want more money? Well, based off of his seven catches last season for 90 yards and two touchdowns, I’m not sure a raise is in order. However, Matthews has all the leverage.
The Vols only have two other returning scholarship receivers: Chris Brazzell II and Braylon Staley. Neither exactly set the world on fire last season, even though Brazzell certainly flashed some special ability at times with 29 catches for 333 yards and two touchdowns. Staley, a freshman, caught just three passes for 21 yards. He may be great, but no one knows that just yet.
The problem with spending more money than originally planned on Matthews is that there is only so many dollars in the NIL account, no matter how vast it might seem. If Matthews or any player is holding the Vols hostage because of roster shortcomings, that won’t bode well for team chemistry.
The Vols have three incoming receivers in the 2025 class: Travis Smith Jr., Radarious Jackson and Joakim Dodson. Smith and Jackson are scheduled to arrive in January. Dodson isn’t expected until this summer. That means Tennessee coach Josh Heupel had better head to the transfer portal for receivers – now.
The Vols are battling for several transfer receivers, most notably Alabama’s Amari Jefferson. Tennessee has had success with a Bama prospect before, most notably tight end Miles Kitselman last season. They have more to offer this time around.
Expectations were probably a bit too high for quarterback Nico Iamaleava considering he was a freshman last season. Still, he should draw in transfers. However, the Vols have done this before under Heupel. They’ve restocked their receiver roster, and we all saw what happened last season. It was rather uninspiring against quality competition.
Tennessee is better with Matthews. No question. Just how much better depends on the demands he made, which of those have been met and who Heupel can get to play alongside him.
