Former Tennessee cornerback Jordan Matthews is one of the few players who have seen both sides of the SEC coin in the Volunteer State. Matthews, a native of Baton Rouge, LA, played his first two seasons at Tennessee, but transferred to Vanderbilt this past offseason to play with the Commodores.
The 6-foot-2 cornerback didn’t just make the 180-mile journey to Nashville from Knoxville, though. Matthews says that he made a switch to “the winning side” of the in-state rivalry.
“I feel like it’s a nice rivalry,” Matthews said during a Vanderbilt media availability on Tuesday. “It’s deep and rich, and I feel like I embrace the fact that I’m on the other side of it. And now I’m on the winning side of it.”
Vanderbilt is off to a 4-0 start this season with wins over Charleston Southern, Virginia Tech, No. 11 South Carolina, and Georgia State.
The Commodores haven’t beaten Tennessee since 2018, though, including all four meetings in the Josh Heupel era in Knoxville. Tennessee beat Vanderbilt 45-21 in 2021, followed by a 56-0 win in 2022. The Volunteers then defeated the Commodores 48-24 in 2023 and 36-23 in 2024.
With an ongoing six-game win streak, Tennessee leads the all-time series with its in-state rival 81-32 with five ties.
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Matthews originally joined the Tennessee program as a four-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class. As a redshirt freshman in 2024, he played 83 snaps for the Tennessee defense and racked up three tackles and two pass deflections. Most of his snaps came in rotational play in wins over Chattanooga, Kent State, and UTEP.
Being in the same class as cornerbacks Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson III hurt Matthews’ on-field opportunities at Tennessee. He flashed talent during his time on the field, but Tennessee’s starting duo of McCoy and Gibson proved to be a key aspect of the Vols’ stout 2024 defense.
Matthews entered the transfer portal when it opened for the winter window, which came before the Vols’ playoff game against Ohio State. He spent less than two weeks in the portal, emerging with the Vanderbilt program on Dec. 19, 2024.
“It’s actually been pretty cool,” Matthews said of his transition from Tennessee to Vanderbilt on Tuesday. “Definitely some of my guys back at Tennessee giving me some stuff for it. And then some people here giving me some stuff for it, too.”
According to Pro Football Focus, Matthews has played in all four of the Commodores’ games this season. He’s got 82 snaps on the season, which is already close to what he played in his final season at Tennessee. Matthews played a season-high 24 snaps at South Carolina in Week 3 and recorded one tackle and one fumble recovery. He’s got five tackles on the season after racking up four against Georgia State this past weekend. He also recorded a forced fumble against the Panthers.
No. 15 Tennessee and No. 18 Vanderbilt will square off in Knoxville in the final game of the regular season on Nov. 29. The rivalry between the Volunteers and the Commodores isn’t going anywhere, as the two teams were revealed to be annual opponents moving forward in the SEC’s new nine-game conference schedule format. Tennessee’s other two annual opponents are Alabama and Kentucky.
Here’s a look at Jordan Matthews’ full answer during a media availability on Tuesday:
