Michigan State LB Wayne Matthews III Praises Defensive Line

Michigan State may have lost multiple defensive linemen this offseason. However, linebacker Wayne Matthews III recently acknowledged how Michigan State's current defensive line has helped him.

Michigan State's Ben Nelson, right, and Michael Masunas work in a drill during the first day of football camp on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Coach Jonathan Smith has done a solid job assembling a Michigan State football team with talent at many key positions.

However, most of the talent on Michigan State’s football team has not worked together until this offseason. Coach Smith supplements Michigan State’s remaining roster from last season with many new faces at critical positions. One of those new players Michigan State will depend heavily on this season is linebacker Wayne Matthews III.

Matthews transferred to Michigan State earlier this offseason from Old Dominion. According to 247Sports, Matthews was a four-star linebacker in the transfer portal this past offseason. He was one of the primary commits of a Michigan State transfer portal class that was widely ranked as one of the best transfer portal classes in the country this offseason. After working more closely with his teammates, Matthews praised Michigan State’s defensive line for what he has seen from them so far. 

"All those guys, I love having them in front of me," Matthews said on Monday. "I do. I feel like linebacker is almost like being a quarterback (with) guys protecting you. Linebackers, we're helping them as well as they're helping us. So they're protecting us with guards, tackles coming up to us, taking on double-teams and stuff like that. So I appreciate those guys for doing that.”

Smith has started rebuilding Michigan State by building up the roster in the trenches. After losing multiple talented defensive linemen to the transfer portal this offseason, Smith secured a respectable defensive line that he plans to improve over the next few seasons, again through the transfer portal and the recruiting trail. 

While Matthews is grateful for how he and Michigan State’s linebackers have benefitted from their teammates on the defensive line, he also noted that the linebackers do their best to repay the defensive line’s hard work.

"Linebackers help them, as well,” Matthews said. “We're running to the ball, sometimes we get over the top, and that brings a double-team off of them and we can have them make plays, too. It works hand-in-hand, but I do love those guys."

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