ASU tight end recruit sees his college future

A couple years ago, Nolan Matthews thought his future was in basketball. And maybe it was. At the time it was hard to know for sure. But his high school football coach staged an intervention of sorts just to make a point – don’t give up on football.

“He thought his career path was going to be in the gym, and I just convinced him that you don’t need to close doors,” said Chad Cole, football coach at Reedy High in Frisco, Texas.

“I told him: ‘You don’t need to close this football door yet. After your junior year, if things aren’t working out in football, then we’ll revisit the conversation, but it’s just not time.’ “

Since then, it’s worked out well for Matthews. He’s grown, gotten stronger and last week, on the Fourth of July, he committed to Arizona State’s 2019 recruiting class as a 6-foot-4, 242pound tight end.

247 Sports gives Matthews a composite three-star ranking and lists him as the nation’s 52nd tight end, even though he hasn’t really played the position.

“We had him a little bit at inside but he was mainly our fourth wideout last year, and obviously, that’s going to change,” Cole said. “He’s just so versatile inside that we can do a lot more with him. We can get the ball to him a lot easier if we bring him in whether it’s as an in-line tight end or as an H back-type inside receiver.”

Perhaps the best thing for Matthews’ future: His coach doesn’t think he’s done growing.

“He’s getting better (in the weight room),” Cole said. “He hasn’t always been because he’s been a basketball player. But he’s learned that, ‘This is my route and to dedicate myself in the weight room will only benefit me.’ “

Matthews had reported scholarship offers from schools such as Iowa State, TCU, Utah and Air Force. He was the 11th to publicly commit to coach Herm Edwards’ 2019 recruiting class.

ACT score helped Tolleson receiver

All along, Andre Johnson had the tools. The Tolleson High receiver had size. He ran well. He just didn’t have his academics in order, which according to his coach, made him a risky Div. I prospect.

That changed in February after Johnson posted a 26 on his ACT. Although he stills needs to work on his core GPA, Tolleson coach Jason Wilke said Johnson is on pace to qualify academically.

“He’s been a good student his last two years,” Wilke said. “His freshman year he started off a little slow. Some of it’s not his fault. We have a university high school, which is on our campus and is separate of Tolleson. He was enrolled in that and he struggled.”

ASU offered Johnson a scholarship after watching him play both sides in a passing league last month. Johnson committed June 25. At 6-3, 185 pounds, Johnson is built like a receiver, but he’s still somewhat raw. He played safety his sophomore season, a position he continues to play. Last year he played both sides as well as special teams. Wilke said he blocked 11 punts and field goals.

“He’s one of those guys that 75 percent of the time he’s going to go up and get that 50-50 ball,” the coach said of Johnson’s receiving skills. “He has good length. He has the long arms and he’s getting better and better every day with his route running. Last year his confidence in his hands grew big time and you saw that throughout the season.”

Extra points

So far, 247 Sports ranks all 11 of ASU’s pledges as three-star prospects. That could change. Four-star cornerback Trent McDuffie of Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco High last week included ASU in his top eight, along with Alabama, Notre Dame, Oregon, USC, Stanford, UCLA and Washington. 247 Sports ranks McDuffie as the nation’s 13th cornerback.

Javin Wright, a three-star corner from Chandler Hamilton High, has ASU in his final four along with Nebraska, UCLA and Washington. At 6-3, 195 pounds, Wright has great size.