ATH Matthews getting looks despite injury
Hampton (Va.) Phoebus 2013 athlete Atavius Matthews is seeing his recruitment rise. The 6-foot-0, 215-pounder has a handful of colleges interested despite missing the entire season to injury.
"I got injured before the summer ended and I had to sit out for the year," he said. "I just got back and ran my 40 again and I was faster before I went down, so I'm still trying to get my speed back.
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"I could have played at the end of the year, but I was only going to be 70%, so I just sat out."
Colleges haven't completely cooled on Matthews.
"Virginia and North Carolina talk to me a lot," he said. "I've talked to Coach Newsome from Virginia Tech. Duke is also looking at me. They are in contact the most."
During the season, Matthews visited Duke and Virginia.
"The football program at Duke is a little shaky, but I like the campus and the school spirit. It was cool being on campus," he said. "I like Virginia overall. I talk to Mike London pretty regularly. They are pretty good."
Prior to the injury, Virginia was very high on the athlete.
"At first Virginia said I was one of the top recruits in the state, but the injury set me back," he said. "Now, they want to wait until this year comes up to see where I go from here."
With college interest continuing to come, what is Matthews looking for?
"I want to major in broadcast journalism in college," he said. "I also would like to be able to make an immediate impact if I can."