The No. 1 player in the state, No. 2 player at the position, and No. 17 player in the nation for the Class of 2026 from Hough High School in Cornelius, North Carolina reacted with me to chat about his visit to check in with head coach Shane Beamer and the University of South Carolina Gamecocks for a big practice visit date on Saturday, April 13:
On South Carolina Defensive Backs' Coach Torrian Gray: "My relationship with Coach Gray is great. It’s always love from Coach. He is one of the best in the game, so being able to talk to him about football is always great. Being able to be coached and learn from him would be great, especially placing in the SEC. He’s work has been proven he can develop DB’s, so I see no reason why he wouldn’t be able to do the same for me. I believe he would be a great leader for me on and off the field."
On Gamecocks' Head Coach Shane Beamer: "Coach Beamer is very cool and easy to talk with. I like Coach Beamer, I see him trying to build something special in South Carolina. I expect a good year from them this upcoming football season."
On Carolina's pedigree on producing NFL talent at the position and what Matthews likes about that aspect of the program: "I love it. It shows they can develop them to becoming pros. Which does play a bit of a part in my decision. Overall my decision will not be about who can get me to league, it will entail way more than that. Things like having a relationship with my coaches on and off the field, liking the school as a whole, and having family atmosphere."
On what stood out about the family atmosphere at USC: "Just the overall togetherness they have there is what I like about South Carolina."
