Four-star offensive lineman commits
BYU added another impressive piece to its recruiting class Wednesday when four-star offensive tackle Ryker Mathews from American Fork, Utah, committed to the Cougars.
He's the first four-star in the class but BYU has received pledges from a bunch of other impressive recruits.
Advertisement
"I called coach (Brandon) Doman (Tuesday) night and told him I wanted to be a Coug and then I went to their practice today and talked to all the coaches, coach (Bronco) Mendenhall and pretty much all the other ones," Mathews said.
The 6-foot-6, 277-pound prospect is rated as the No. 12 offensive tackle and No. 115 prospect nationally by Rivals.com. No player in Utah is rated higher than Mathews, who won his position MVP award at the Provo NIKE Camp.
Utah, Kansas, Utah State and others were involved with Mathews but he said the history at BYU, the players and coaches there and the educational factor all played a major role in his decision to commit before his senior season.
"The atmosphere really stood out and the great people I'll be playing with," Mathews said.
"They're not only great football players but personality-wise. The coaches are great and I love coach (Mark) Weber. He's an awesome guy. You can't go wrong with the education. BYU has always been a great place for education."
Out of BYU's 12 public commitments, Mathews is the first four-star recruit but eight others are rated as three-star prospects by Rivals.com. Mathews said he's friends with BYU quarterback Jake Heaps and that played a role in his decision to pick the Cougars, too.
No other visits are expected and Mathews said he's planning to stick with his decision.
"I'll probably just stick with BYU," he said.