USC Football: Scouting Trojan Commit Tight End Walter Matthews
Hiram (Hiram, GA) senior tight end Walter Matthews committed to the Trojans in the middle of June. The 6’7" 250-pound monster tight end was the second of two tight ends in USC’s 2024 recruiting class to commit, the other being Lakeridge (Lake Oswego, OR) Joey Olsen.
They follow fellow tight end and current USC Trojan Oscar Delp’s path into Lincoln Riley’s offense, which historically hasn’t featured traditional tight ends in pass-catching roles. Interestingly enough, when Delp sees the field, he has played more of a wide receiver role than he has tight end. This may give us a hint into how Matthews will be used at USC, but his film also helps us dissect how he will be used in Lincoln Riley’s air raid. Here are our notes from his senior season Hudl film.
First impression is that he is simply too big and too fast for high school cornerbacks to handle. He lines up out wide for the majority of his film, and for good reason. His coaches want to get him in one-on-one situations where he can use his size to his advantage. He also is no slouch when running routes either.
He does have experience as an inline Y tight end. If he’s a willing blocker, he would offer value to USC’s offense should they employ those type of packages. Also has a decent route tree he’s mastered.
Something else to consider is how hard Matthews is to bring down as a ball carrier. He is George Kittle-esque in that sense. Whether or not he will be able to break tackles at the next level remains to be seen, but the potential is there.
USC’s 2024 class currently has 18 commits, and Matthews’ upside is probably highest of the lot. However, with Oscar Delp in the picture along with fellow 2024 recruit Joey Olsen entering the fray, it may be a couple season before Matthews will have the opportunity to become the tight end for Lincoln Riley.
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