Tennessee WR Mike Matthews makes admission about his true freshman season that won't surprise Vols fans

Tennessee Vols sophomore wide receiver Mike Matthews is expected to play a huge role in UT's offense in 2025. 

Matthews, a former five-star recruit, briefly flirted with the NCAA transfer portal earlier this offseason before ultimately deciding to return to Tennessee. 

The speculation is that Matthews considered entering the portal due to his lack of playing time as a true freshman in 2024. 

While other true freshmen wide receivers around the sport thrived last season (such as Ryan Williams at Alabama, Jeremiah Smith at Ohio State, and Ryan Wingo at Texas), Matthews saw limited snaps at Tennessee, catching just seven passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns. 

Matthews met with reporters on Tuesday and he admitted that it was "tough" to wait his turn last season. 

"It was definitely a tough situation I had to go through," said Matthews. "But in life, you always have to go through challenges. And those challenges build you for the next moment. Just looking forward to what the future has for me and I'm planning on making it a big one." 

Matthews also explained on Tuesday why he decided to stay at Tennessee instead of entering the transfer portal. 

"I've pretty much built a family here," said Matthews. "It was definitely tough, just thinking about doing that (transferring). But just the family, the coaching staff, and all of my teammates really helped me make my decision." 

Matthews' path to playing time at Tennessee is a reminder that development is different for everyone. Just because a couple of true freshmen wide receivers excelled last season, doesn't change Matthews' ceiling as a player. Matthews still has the talent to be one of the top wide receivers in the nation. And he's working hard this offseason -- specifically when it comes to route running -- to continue to improve his game. 

The Vols need Matthews to be a game-changer in 2025 and it certainly sounds like he's putting in the work to be that type of player. If anything, it seems that not playing much as a true freshman in 2024 is serving as motivation for Matthews moving forward.