There will be plenty of celebrating happening on Rocky Top tonight.

Josh Heupel and his Tennessee coaching staff just landed the commitment of a big-time target – 2024 five-star Lilburn (Ga.) ATH Mike Matthews – while beating out the likes of Georgia, Clemson and USC.

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This is a huge win for the Vols on the recruiting trail – especially considering that Matthews is listed as the No. 2 player in the state of Georgia. Matthews' commitment gives Tennessee its 17th pledge, and its first five-star, in a loaded 2024 recruiting class.

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Matthews is Rivals' No. 1 ranked athlete and the No. 7 overall player in the country. This is the first five-star of the 2024 class for Heupel and the Vols.

Matthews was initially evaluated as a defensive back for most programs before turning into one of the best wide receivers in the country. He has been a longtime target for the Vols, and definitely a guy that Tennessee wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope has prioritized for quite some time.

Many layers played into this decision coming down the line. Schematics and relationships may have been the two biggest driving factors. Matthews told VolReport: "Ever since my first visit, I felt welcomed there."

Matthews was in attendance last season as the Vols upset Alabama at Neyland Stadium – and that has an appeal to Matthews as he sees the Vols building something special under Heupel.

"Now they're starting to come up and build. ... I really like that," Matthews told VolReport. "All those players have a type of dog in them that not a lot of people have, and I find that interesting."

During Matthews' visits during the 2023 calendar year, he has been shown how the Vols plan to utilize his skillset once he is on Rocky Top.

"I was actually shown plays I actually run in high school," Matthews recently told VolReport. "Like, the type of offensive scheme they have is kind of what I already running now."

After seeing the blueprint, Matthews would express his thoughts on the idea.

"I believe it's a good opportunity for me, and my parents believe it's a good opportunity for me, too," Matthews said.

One fellow 2024 Tennessee commit that was openly peer recruiting for Matthews to join him in Knoxville was Boo Carter. From the moment Carter chose the Vols, his attention was directed to reeling in other targets – and Matthews was on the initial list.

Matthews told VolReport back in May of the history between he and Carter. Both great athletes with tremendous skillsets, the two met early at an AAU tournament and initially had a heated introduction before the pair quickly realized how similar they were in who they are.

They both have the alpha mentality of "I am that guy," and you can see it with how they play. Dogs wants to play with dogs as the saying goes, and Carter has received his wish.

Ironically, both Carter and Matthews have the ability to play both wide receiver and defensive back. The two will definitely push each other at the next level, and with iron sharpening iron, the Vols are set to have two sharp weapons in their arsenal.

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