At 12:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 16th, the spring transfer portal window opened, which means madness across the college football world is about to ensue. For the Oregon Ducks, there are already some storylines to follow. First, Andrew Paul — a Georgia Bulldogs running back — hit the portal, and the Ducks are on the early shortlist of candidates to bring him in.
But, perhaps even more intriguing is Jacoby Mathews, a former Texas A&M safety who told Steve Wiltfong of On3Sports that he is considering Oregon and Florida State as his next schools.
Mathews is a junior safety from Ponchatoula, Louisana. During his high school recruitment, Mathews was initially committed to LSU before he flipped to Texas A&M. In two seasons with the Aggies, Mathews tallied 66 total tackles, 5 pass breakups, and an interception. 42 of those tackles and the interception came in 2023, Mathews’ sophomore season.
Mathews is a hybrid safety, who seems to feel equally comfortable against the run and the pass. Mathews is at his best in coverage and when pursuing ball carriers, using his speed and quickness to track the ball and track his opponents to prevent big gains.
At safety in 2024, Oregon is returning senior Tysheem Johnson, a hard-hitter who’s decent in coverage, and bringing in senior Kobe Savage, a ball hawk with some speed from Kansas State. The rest of the Ducks safety room is quite young, so the addition of Mathews would add valuable experience to the Oregon secondary next season and beyond.
