A four-star cornerback from The Pelican State in the 2023 class added Clemson to his offer list Wednesday.
Woodlawn’s (Baton Rouge, LA.) Jordan Matthews announced the offer from the Tigers, despite having not been on campus. Matthews spoke with Clemson cornerbacks coach Mike Reed Wednesday, who made a rare exception in offering the Louisiana-based corner.
“He usually waits to offer guys when they’re on campus and visit Clemson and everything, but with my personal situation, I couldn’t make the unofficial visit,” Matthews told The Clemson Insider Thursday. “He offered me because he really liked me and they don’t do that to many players, but I feel like I must be more special to them for them sticking out their hand and offering me.”
What did that mean to Matthews?
“I just think it was eye-opening,” he said. “They usually don’t do this for other guys and everything and they really want to take me serious now.”
Matthews didn’t plan an unofficial visit to Clemson because he had so many other things going on in the month of June, which is already pretty booked up for him. When we spoke with him on Thursday, Matthews was getting ready to leave for the University of Michigan. He’s also planning to visit Stanford on June 18 and the University of Tennessee on June 24.
Now that Matthews has an offer from Clemson, he said that he could probably see about taking either an unofficial or official visit in July or even during the season.
“I’m considering them,” Matthews said of Clemson. “I know that they came on kind of late, but for them to offer me without me being on campus, it was eye-opening and I will definitely be considering them.”
Matthews is looking to make a decision in late July, prior to his senior season. He plans to be an early enrollee and wants to be able to enjoy his last semester of high school without worrying about recruiting.
When he eventually makes his college decision, how he will be developed will certainly be a factor in his decision. Reed’s ability to develop players at the cornerback position and consistently send them to the NFL is also something that Matthews will take under consideration when he makes an eventual decision.
When Matthews posted his offer on Twitter, he used a picture of former Clemson standout AJ Terrell; that was no coincidence.
Terrell is a long corner that Matthews looks up to.
“He plays for the Falcons now and he has my body style and everything,” Matthews said, “and to think that Coach Reed can develop guys like that and ship them in the first round in the league, it’s a great attribute of his.”
“He’s a very straightforward guy,” Matthews said of Reed. “He’s gonna give it to you real and say facts. I feel like it’s a lot of coaches that beat around the bush, but Coach Reed, he’ll set you straight and tell you facts about himself and about the players he’s developed.”
In order to get a better feel for Matthews and his game, we asked him to describe himself as a player. He gave an explanation that may just prove why Reed pulled the trigger on a scholarship offer Wednesday.
“I’d say that I check all the boxes,” he said. “I have a high IQ. I’m a long, fast corner that can cover and come up and make tackles. Personally, I think I check all the boxes. I always say that I want to improve every part of my game, though, because I don’t want anything to be weaker than the other.
Matthews (6-2, 175) currently ranks as the No. 14 cornerback and the nation’s No. 130 overall prospect regardless of position in the class of 2023, per the 247Sports Composite rankings.
Blessed and honored to receive an offer from Clemson University!#ClemsonFamily 🐅🧡@CUCoachReed @samspiegs @DemetricDWarren @KenAnioJr @MarcusRandall19 pic.twitter.com/EPdGmHG1ct
— Jordan Matthews (@JMatthews_07) June 2, 2022
— Photo for this article courtesy of @JMatthews_07 on Twitter.
