Amari Matthews Amari Matthews 6'1" | 175 lbs | DB Wenonah | 2026 State AL had a huge junior season last fall for Wenonah, making a ton of massive plays out in their secondary at FS all season long. Matthews is a rangy ball hawk over the top of the field that can ruin an opposing offense’s day with how well he flies to the ball and creates turnovers. It’s incredibly fun watching Matthews out in coverage- he has great size and speed, terrific instincts and vision, and just makes impossible plays look easy. Frequently on tape, Matthews tracks the ball and works from the opposite side of the field to haul in some incredibly impressive interceptions. Matthews is also a brutal run defender capable of delivering huge hits to the ball carrier- he has excellent pursuit and puts himself in great position to come up with stops against the run. Something that really stood out to me with Matthews’s tape was his high intelligence and leadership over the defense- on some of his highlight plays, you can see him communicating pre-snap to his teammates exactly what the offense is about to run- that is a special trait to have at any level of play. Matthews was incredibly reliable last fall- ending his junior season with 57 total tackles (36 solo, 2 for loss), 4 INTs, one FF, and two blocked FGs. Since the end of last year, Matthews has seen his recruitment open up a lot- he’s picked up offers from UT Martin, Eastern Kentucky, and North Alabama over the last few weeks and is sure to pick up more soon. Take a look at his film below and you’ll see why, he’s a really talented defender heading into a huge senior season this fall.