2025 Toms River (NJ) four-star offensive tackle Jaelyne Matthews took a step back in his recruitment after announcing his split from his Penn State pledge back in September, opting to keep an open mind with his recruitment continuing to take shape into his junior season. The top-100 prospect has drawn strong pursuits from the likes of Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan and Tennessee with Matthews viewed among the top tackle prospects in the 2025 class. Maryland is among the double-digit list of schools who’ve made Matthews a priority, and he’s returned the favor with a pair of visits to campus this season.
“I like the school a lot. I love the coaching staff. Of course they have a tough flag. Of course there’s a lot that they’re building with their [offensive] line. There’s a lot of leadership going on there. They’re just an amazing school. Coach Locks, he’s an amazing coach. [Offensive analyst Luke] Butera, he was a coach at my school right now. He’s also an amazing guy, good mentor to have. Coach [Brian] Braswell, he’s also amazing, he’s great. He’d be an amazing coach to have.”
That pursuit has made Maryland among the schools in contention as the staff now looks ahead to a return visit in the spring. “He likes my athleticism. He likes how I’m a diverse player, I can play anything on the line except center because that’s just not me. he likes my aggressiveness. There’s a lot more than just that but they’ve definitely shown they’re interested in me.”
But frankly, the atmosphere and gameday experience wasn’t at the forefront for Matthews when he arrived in College Park. Watching how the Terps fared in the trenches, first against Charlotte then Penn State, was his main focus.
“That’s really the only part of the game that I watch because I’m a football player, not a football watcher. At this point I’m just watching the o-line more than I am enjoying the game.”
Matthews doesn’t have a visit set up for this weekend with Toms River taking on Cherokee in the state semifinals on Friday night as Matthews stays patient with the rest of his recruiting process.
Matthews says that Maryland is among the schools recruiting him hardest, joining Florida State, Georgia, Rutgers, Texas, Tennessee, Michigan, Auburn.
“They’re definitely recruiting me hard. They’re definitely high on my list. I have a lumpsum of schools I’m thinking about. I’m not going to commit right away to any school. I’m planning on doing it a little bit later because I’m only a junior.”
Matthews is rated a four-star prospect and a 92 overall by On3, sitting as the third-best prospect in New Jersey and 86th-best prospect in the country.
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