Tag: Walter Matthews

Florida football one of two in running for 4-star tight end

This towering tight end could be a Kyle Pitts 2.0.

Florida football made the final cut for four-star tight end Walter Matthews out of Hiram (Georgia), who revealed his final two schools to Brooks Austin of FanNation on Friday. The 2024 recruit is down to the Gators and USC Trojans as his preferred options.

The towering 6-foot-7-inch, 245-pound end made an unofficial visit to Gainesville the first weekend of May which resulted in him scheduling an official visit to the Swamp for the weekend of June 9. Matthews’ stop in Hogtown follows his visit to Southern California, which is slated for June 2.

“They really want me,” he told All Gators. “You know, I like being around (tight ends) coach (Russ) Callaway. He’s like a guru since he’s been an analyst. He knows how to gameplan properly.”

Matthews is ranked No. 115 overall and No. 7 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 106 and 8, respectively. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine favors Florida with a 32.6% chance of signing him, followed by USC (23.9%), the Ohio State Buckeyes (8.4%) and Michigan Wolverines (7.0%).

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1368]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

4-star tight end schedules official visit with Florida

Florida hosted one of its top tight-end targets from the class of 2024 over the weekend and he left Gainesville with plans to return for an official visit.

Hiram (Georgia) tight end [autotag]Walter Matthews[/autotag] was back in Gainesville over the weekend for an unofficial visit with the Florida Gators and he left town with plans to return, according to Swamp247.

Matthews got his best look at Florida’s staff and approach to coaching during this visit, and it has him ready to see what the Gators have to offer during an official visit. He will return to the Swamp from June 9-11, a week after taking an official visit to USC.

The Gators and Trojans are at the top of Matthews’ list right now. He says each team has a plan for him and that they play their tight ends in the style he’s looking for.

If all goes right, Matthews will be able to make a decision after making both of those trips.

Florida already sat on top of the On3 recruiting prediction machine coming into the weekend, but a planned official visit moves the Gators’ odds to land Matthews up from 17.4% to 32.6%, and USC (23.9%) leapfrogged Ohio State (8.4%) and Michigan (7.0%).

Matthews is a consensus four-star talent, according to the four major recruiting services. He’s ranked as high as 87th overall in the class of 2024 by 247Sports and is No. 105 on the On3 industry ranking, which uses a weighted average of all four services.

The industry ranking also has him at No. 8 among tight ends in his class and No. 17 among recruits from the state of Georgia.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1739]

[mm-video type=video id=01gvkh75mgk6nyedpvk2 playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gvkh75mgk6nyedpvk2/01gvkh75mgk6nyedpvk2-4684f40d8bcccdaaed22ec67644c2963.jpg]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Florida gets 4-star TE on campus over weekend

The Florida Gators are hosting one of their top tight-end targets this weekend and could be scheduling an official visit soon.

The Florida Gators are looking to add a tight end in the class of 2024, and Hiram’s (Georgia) Walter Matthews is a name that’s high on Florida’s board.

On3’s Gators Online and Swamp247 reported that Matthews will be on campus this weekend, and this trip could have a major impact on his recruitment.

Former tight ends coach William Peagler was Matthews’ main point of contact until he left to be a part of the Arizona Cardinals staff. Florida’s new tight ends coach, Russ Callaway, has taken over where Peagler left off, but this will be a chance for the two to meet in person.

Official visits are coming up, and the hope is that both sides can figure out the right date to get him back in Gainesville for an extended stay.

The On3 recruiting prediction machine favors Florida but only gives the Gators 17.4% odds to land Matthews. Ohio State is close behind with 15.2% odds and Michigan (13.0%) and USC (10.9%) also trail closely.

Matthews is a consensus four-star talent, according to the four major recruiting services. He’s ranked as high as 87th overall in the class of 2024 by 247Sports and is No. 105 on the On3 industry ranking, which uses a weighted average of all four services.

The industry ranking also has him at No. 8 among tight ends in his class and No. 17 among recruits from the state of Georgia.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1739]

[mm-video type=video id=01gz2nfyxxcnwcrb120p playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gz2nfyxxcnwcrb120p/01gz2nfyxxcnwcrb120p-4d0057ba9ef59f43bae468644349f925.jpg]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Gators to get this physically-gifted tight end on campus for May visit

The Gators are getting this Kyle Pitts prototype on campus in mid-May for a visit.

April has been a busy month for Florida football recruiting efforts, which has seen a plethora of prep prospects pop in for a visit to see Billy Napier and his staff. While the staff plans on hitting the road in May to visit a laundry list of recruits, the Gators will still be hosting high school athletes who are looking to matriculate with the Orange and Blue.

One of the most recent names that have come up for a visit next month is four-star tight end [autotag]Walter Matthews[/autotag] out of Hiram (Georgia), who told Swamp247’s Blake Alderman. The massive 6-foot-7-inch, 245-pound prospect plans on stopping in Gainesville on May 13 along with his father.

The high school junior’s size alone makes him a precious commodity on the field but his ability to also show some soft hands on the receiving side ups the ante even further. Florida has coveted the Peach State product for some time, recruiting him hard between the tenures of former tight ends coach William Peagler and current coach Russ Callaway.

“I want to hang out more with Coach Callaway and hang out with some of the other coaches again,” he told Alderman. “I want to see the new facility. I want to see how they coach and how they treat the players.”

Matthews has made one prior trip to the Swamp, which came last season for the South Carolina Gamecocks matchup, making this upcoming May stop his second visit to Hogtown.

Other schools in the mix for the physically-gifted tight end are the Florida State Seminoles, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Michigan Wolverines, USC Trojans, Ohio State Buckeyes and Colorado Buffaloes — all of whom he has visited this offseason. He plans on taking his time deciding on his next ventures, which he expects to spread between June and the fall months.

Matthews is ranked No. 114 overall and No. 7 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 105 and 8, respectively. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine has UF ahead with a 17.4% chance of signing him, while the Buckeyes, Wolverines and Trojans trail closely behind at 15.2%, 13.0% and 10.9%, respectively.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1368]

[mm-video type=video id=01gxns8fgjn5kq7ea913 playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gxns8fgjn5kq7ea913/01gxns8fgjn5kq7ea913-1b90f7c9e8fffc76f4739f6ed4c5b26f.jpg]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Top 2024 tight end target looks forward to another Florida visit

A top target for the Gators in the 2024 class will be making another visit to Gainesville in March.

One of [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s biggest 2024 targets tells On3 that he will be making another visit to Gainesville.

[autotag]Walter Matthews[/autotag], a 6-foot-7-inch, 245-pound junior athlete is being heavily recruited by the Gators. Despite being listed as an athlete, Matthews tells On3 that Florida would like to see him play tight end for the Orange and Blue.

According to Gators Online, Matthews was visited by Florida tight ends coach [autotag]William Peagler[/autotag] at his Georgia high school, Hiram High. A couple of weeks after that, Peagler returned to visit Matthews, this time with head coach Billy Napier along for the ride. Matthews is on record saying that the series of visits make him feel like he will be a good fit in Gainesville because of how important they are making him feel. He also added that Florida is the program recruiting him the hardest.

The visits clearly made an impact on Matthews, as he says he will be visiting Gainesville for a third time. Florida is the only program to date that Matthews has visited multiple times. He took two visits to The Swamp in 2022, including the home finale against South Carolina. While not providing an exact date, Matthews says he will be visiting in March as part of a Florida tour. He will also visit Florida State and Miami, the other two Florida schools that have offered him.

According to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, the Gators are currently the leader in his recruitment with a 23.6% chance of landing him. Vanderbilt is second with 10.8%. While surprising at first glance, the Commodores should be taken seriously in his recruitment, with his uncle having earned All-American honors at tight end for the SEC East program.

Matthews is currently the No. 20 overall player in the state of Georgia, according to the On3 Consensus. He holds offers from multiple major programs like Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, LSU, and many others, with Vanderbilt and Florida State currently posing the biggest threat to the Orange and Blue.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1368]

[mm-video type=video id=01grrgqdf7tjmwtgzq19 playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01grrgqdf7tjmwtgzq19/01grrgqdf7tjmwtgzq19-0f12429112b40c1938b678390a18a731.jpg]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Recruiting profile for recent Oklahoma 2024 offer, 4-Star TE Walter Matthews

Taking a look at recent Oklahoma Sooners offer, 4-Star TE Walter Matthews.

The moment Brent Venables and his staff arrived in Norman, a whole new part of the map opened up on the recruiting trail. The Oklahoma Sooners have waded deep into SEC and ACC territory over the last year. Recently, they targeted tight end Walter Matthews from inside the territory of the two-time defending champion Georgia Bulldogs.

Walter Matthews is a consensus four-star tight end in the 2024 recruiting cycle out of Hiram, Ga. He’s ESPN’s No. 1 tight end in the class and is considered a top 100 prospect with the “Worldwide Leader” and with On3 Recruiting.

He’s easy to find when you turn on the Hudl tape. Matthews is 6-foot-7 and 245 pounds and plays every bit his size. He’s a physical player in the running game, dominating defenders at the point of attack. As a receiver, Matthews lined up both as an in-line option and out wide in some sets. He’s smooth working downfield and displayed an ability to beat a variety of coverages in the middle of the field. He’s a big-play threat down the seam, where his size allows him to box out defenders as he provides a big target for quarterbacks to throw to.

Walter Matthews has received 23 Power Five offers to date and that list will continue to grow as more teams become familiar with the four-star tight end.

Walter Matthews’ Recruiting Profile

Projections

  • On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine currently projects the Florida Gators to land Matthews.

Film

Hudl

Tigers offer 2024 athlete from Georgia

The Tigers offered 6-foot-7 Walter Matthews, who Florida seems to be in the lead for right now.

[autotag]Walter Matthews[/autotag] is a 2024, four-star, 6-foot-7, 245-pound athlete from Hiram, Georgia, where he plays for Hiram High School. The Hornets finished the 2022 season 5-5 and failed to make the playoffs in the GHSA 5A football bracket. Although they missed the playoffs, this season is a big improvement from a team that went 1-9 last year.

Film Analysis: Matthews had 12 receptions for 235 yards and two touchdowns as a sophomore last year. It’s funny that Florida is the leader in his recruitment because this guy reminds me a lot of Kyle Pitts. Matthews is an inch taller and one pound heavier than Pitts.

FILM

Auburn offers 4-star TE Walter Matthews

Auburn has entered the mix for four-star tight end Walter Mattews, one of the top recruits in the 2024 recruiting class.

After years of not using the tight end position, it has become an emphasis under [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag].

This change can be seen in Auburn’s recruiting efforts, with the Tigers going after some of the top tight ends in the country. On Monday they extended an offer to [autotag]Walter Matthews[/autotag], the No. 4 tight end in the 2024 recruiting class.

Matthews is from Hiram, Georgia, and is ranked as the No. 116 overall player and No. 19 player from Georgia in the 247Sports Composite ranking.

The 6-foot-7, 245-pound Matthews has great size and despite being just a junior already has over 20 Power Five scholarship offers and more are surely on the way.

Auburn currently has two commits in their 2024 recruiting class, four-star quarterback Adrian Posse and four-star cornerback A’Mon Lane.

[mm-video type=video id=01gbrqsw4qgx4eyntmea playlist_id=01eqbyzb4ahnasj2m3 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gbrqsw4qgx4eyntmea/01gbrqsw4qgx4eyntmea-8e9c192efeec8e2baf5a6a089dce0f6b.jpg]

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15.

Let us know your thoughts, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!