High School

Connor Mathews commits to UMass Minutemen

Mathews rushed for 1,500 yards last season for the Raiders; Recently transferred to Niceville

Andy Villamarzo

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NICEVILLE, FLORIDA- The Florida Panhandle region has been a hotbed when it comes to quality high school running backs.

On Wednesday morning, another talented tailback decided to make his announcement official on where he's heading after his prep playing days.

Niceville 2025 running back Connor Mathews announced he's committing to UMass over Army, Bucknell, Navy and North Alabama. Mathews made his commitment via his platform on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"After an amazing Official visit and lots of prayer, I am beyond blessed and grateful to say I’m 10000% COMMITTED to play football at UMass."

Mathews played at Navarre High School the last two seasons, but has recently transferred over to Niceville officially as of Wednesday. The running back made waves for the Raiders in 2023 after leading the team to the Class 4S postseason.

The 5-foot-9, 195-pound running back joins an Eagles program that went 9-3 last season and qualified for the Class 4S postseason, reaching the region semifinals.

The bruising tailback rushed for 1,500 yards and scored 24 touchdowns. Mathews also caught 17 passes for 143 yards out of the backfield.

-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl

Published
Andy Villamarzo

ANDY VILLAMARZO

Andy Villamarzo has been a sports writer in the Tampa Bay (FL) Area since 2007, writing for publications such as Tampa Bay Times, The Tampa Tribune, The Suncoast News, Tampa Beacon, Hernando Sun to name a few. Andy resides out of the Tarpon Springs, FL area and started as a writer with SB Live Sports in the summer of 2022 covering the Tampa Bay Area. He has quickly become one of Florida's foremost authorities on high school sports, appearing frequently on podcasts, radio programs and digital broadcasts as an expert on team rankings, recruiting and much more.

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