Ex-Georgia and Toledo wideout Matt Landers is staking a claim to start at wide receiver for Arkansas.
If you haven’t been paying attention to Arkansas’ fall camp, you’d be forgiven for not knowing who Matt Landers is.
The former wide receiver at Georgia then Toledo didn’t arrive to the Razorbacks program with the same amount of exaltation as fellow transfer Jadon Haselwood did when he announced in the spring he was coming from Oklahoma.
“Speed, speed. He can run and he can catch. So the deep ball, the 50-50 ball, yeah, I like Matt,” Arkansas cornerback Malik Chavis said.
The deep ball is a specialty. Landers caught just 20 passes at Toledo last year, fourth on the team. But they went for 514 yards, which was only 29 yards off the team leader, who, by the way, made his yardage off 38 catches.
At 6-foot-5 and not even 200 pounds, Landers is a matchup nightmare. Small corners have difficulty because of the height. Tall ones likely can’t match his speed. If camp continues to progress the way it has so far, expect Landers to crack his way into the Arkansas rotation sooner rather than later on the outside.
At 6-foot-5 and 201 pounds, Landers brings big-play ability to Arkansas receiving corps. He caught just 20 passes last year for the Rockets but they went for 514 yards and five touchdowns.
Arkansas coach [autotag]Sam Pittman[/autotag] was the offensive line coach at Georgia during Landers’ first season there.
Landers was a three-star prospect out of St. Petersburg, Florida, in 2017 and is a graduate transfer to Arkansas now, meaning he is immediately eligible.
Landers also became the seventh player the Razorbacks landed from the portal in the offseason. He will join fellow portal enrollee Jadon Haselwood at wide receiver.
Former Georgia and Toledo football wide receiver Matt Landers has transferred for a second consecutive offseason.
Former Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Matt Landers transferred to the Toledo Rockets football program after the 2020 college football season. Now, the Toledo receiver is on the move again. Landers is transferring back into the SEC to the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Matt Landers has three seasons of college football experience. He caught 20 passes for 514 yards and scored five touchdowns last season for Toledo.
Landers, a former three-star recruit, will have two seasons of eligibility remaining. He is an excellent blocker and should have a fairly large role for Arkansas.
The 6-foot-5, 200-pound receiver caught 12 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown during his two season career with the Georgia Bulldogs.
Landers, who was Toledo’s third-leading receiver last season, announced his transfer to the Razorbacks via his Twitter account:
Former Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Matt Landers entered the NCAA transfer portal following the 2020 season. Now, he’s headed to Toledo.
Former Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Matt Landers entered the NCAA transfer portal following the 2020 season. Now, the St. Petersburg High School product is transferring to the Toledo Rockets football program.
Matt Landers will join Toledo as a member of the junior class. He will be immediately eligible for the Rockets. We wish him luck as he looks for a larger role with his new team.
Landers came to Athens, Georgia, as a three-star recruit. He is an excellent blocker. Improved consistency would go a long way for Landers. He played in nine regular season games during the 2020 season, but ultimately he fell belowGeorge Pickens, Kearis Jackson, Arian Smith, Jermaine Burton, and Demetris Robertson on the wide receiver depth chart at Georgia.
Matt Landers will be a mid-year enrollee for the Toledo Rockets. Toledo announced the move via their official Twitter account:
Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Matt Landers has entered the NCAA transfer portal following the 2020 season.
Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Matt Landers has entered the NCAA transfer portal following the 2020 season. The St. Petersburg High School product had an up and down season in 2019.
Matt Landers enters the portal as a junior. He will be immediately eligible if he chooses to transfer. We wish him luck at his new school, should he prefer to transfer.
Landers came to Athens as a three-star recruit and is an excellent blocker. Improved consistency would go a long way for Landers. He played in nine regular season games during the 2020 season. He fell behind George Pickens, Kearis Jackson, Arian Smith, Jermaine Burton, and Demetris Robertson on the wide receiver depth chart at Georgia.
He played his best game in 2019 against the Baylor Bears in the Sugar Bowl. Landers caught three passes for 25 yards and scored a touchdown:
A look at the Georgia football 2020 wider receiver room headlined by star George Pickens.
The 2020 college football season is fast approaching and players will be allowed back on campus for summer workouts starting June 8.
That said, let’s take a look at the Georgia wide receivers, perhaps the most exciting position to watch for the Bulldogs in 2020.
This is not a depth chart projection, but a look at who we project to see the most snaps.
1. George Pickens (So.)
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Pickens (6-3, 190), from Hoover, Alabama, is one of the best returning receiver in college football and will be heavily relied upon by new Wake Forest transfer QB Jamie Newman and for good reason. As a freshman in 2019, Pickens caught 49 passes for 727 yards and 8 touchdowns, which earned him Coaches’ Freshman All-SEC Team honors.
2. Demetris Robertson (Sr.)
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Robertson, (6-0, 190) from Savannah, Georgia, is a transfer from the University of California in 2018 and hasn’t been able to find much a rhythm as a Bulldog. However, we know he has talent and even received Freshman All-American honors in his time with Cal, so look for his speed on the inside to be a huge factor for the Bulldogs in 2020.
3. Dominick Blaylock (So.)
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Assuming Blaylock (6-1, 195) returns from an ACL tear in 2019, he will be competing for the starting slot-receiver position with Robertson. Before his injury, Blaylock, from Marietta, Georgia, was having a solid freshman season, catching 18 passes for 310 yards and 5 touchdowns in 12 games. Most notably, Blaylock averaged over 17 yards per reception and contributed to special teams as punt/kick returner.
4. Matt Landers (Junior)
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Landers (6-5, 200), from St. Petersburg, Florida, should see time on the outside opposite George Pickens. Especially in goal line situations where his length creates match-up problems with virtually anyone who covers him. That being said, Landers will have to show route-running and catching improvement if he wants to contribute. His three catches versus Baylor in the Sugar Bowl shows he is headed in the right direction.
5. Kearis Jackson (RFr.)
(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Jackson (6-0, 200,) from Fort Valley, Georgia, started the Bulldogs’ first game at Vanderbilt last season and caught two passes for 31 yards until exiting early with a hand injury that derailed the rest of his 2019 season. Georgia coaches were confident enough to tab Jackson as a starter early on, so, assuming his hand injury is no longer a factor, he should be competing for the slot position with Robertson and Blaylock this summer.
NEXT: Who else could we expect to catch some passes this year?
Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Matt Landers will look to provide a red zone threat for the Dawgs in 2020.
Matt Landers, Wide Receiver (#5):
Class: Junior
Height: 6-5
Weight: 200 pounds
Hometown: St. Petersburg, Florida
High School: St. Petersburg High School
Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Matt Landers had an up and down season in 2019. Landers and Tommy Bush are Georgia’s two tallest wide receivers. Will one of them be able to step up and help replace Lawrence Cager’s ability to win jump balls?
Georgia could use another red zone threat in 2020. George Pickens is expected to be a star next season, but he can’t do it all on his own. Plenty of wide receivers will have chance to step up from UGA. Landers has the size to be a red zone mismatch.
Landers came to Athens as a three-star recruit, but don’t rule him out in the wide receiver competition. He is an excellent blocker and will contribute to the team. Improved consistency would go a long way for Landers.
He saved his best for last against the Baylor Bears in the Sugar Bowl. Landers caught three passes for 25 yards and scored this sweet touchdown:
By the time George Pickens resumed play following his one half suspension, Jake Fromm had tweaked his ankle and the Silver Britches had lost third-leading receiver Dominick Blaylock. Later, linebacker Walter Grant left the game with a concussion following a targeting penalty that resulted in the ejection of Louisiana State defender Tory Carter.
Typically automatic senior placekicker Rodrigo Blankenship missed two of his three field goal attempts, but will enter his final bowl game wearing red and black maintaining the highest field goal percentage in Georgia history.
While we lament that the opportunities were there, Georgia’s inability to take advantage of the situations makes it clear that the Dawgs were never a true playoff contender.
