Devon Matthews Signs With the Indiana Hoosiers
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Written By Alex Compton
Devon Matthews, Safety, 6'2" 182 Pounds, Jacksonville, FL (Jean Ribault H.S.), 247 Composite Three-Star (84.45)
Bringing the boom. Watch the tape, and that’s the absolute first thing you’ll notice about Devon Matthews and the way he plays football. He is a classic roaming free safety that will come up in the hole to lay the wood on ballcarriers, which is what Tom Allen LOVES. IU came on to him a little later as a target than some of the other guys in the class, but Allen and company just ramped up their intensity to make up for some of that lost ground. The former South Florida commit for Charlie Strong opted for the Hoosiers instead a little over a week ago, and joins Jordan Jusevitch as the only safeties in the class. There is speculation that Jusevitch could move down to linebacker, but that will become more clear during summer camp. For now, Matthews is probably one of the most physical players in the class, and his frame should have him ready to contribute on defense right away. Tom Allen has shown he’ll play the best players regardless of class or rankings, and Matthews seems like he could be another early contributor on his defense.
Tony Fields and Chase Dutra have graduated, while Zeke Walker has transferred, and that leaves the other safety spot alongside Jonathan Crawford somewhat up in the air at this point. With a strong camp Matthews would certainly be a candidate for that spot, as his body is already close to being Big Ten ready. He is a big-play guy, and Allen loves that in his attacking style of defense. He has a tendency to overplay the ball a bit, but that can be corrected with good coaching, which IU has in the secondary. Whether or not he starts is uncertain, but he will definitely be a contributor as a true freshman. Matthews could certainly be a sleeper in the class, much like Marcelino Ball and Whop Philyor were the last two seasons.
IU Comparison: TJ Simmons (if he played Safety)