Wayne Matthews III
Wayne Matthews III
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Two head coaches in five seasons, at two different programs. His first career honor landed in 2023: All-Sun Belt. One game to point at: 10 tackles against Youngstown State — Week 3, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- recognition record
- game log
Career Arc
Trophy Case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-CONFERENCE
All-Conf mention (2023)
All-Sun Belt
Coaching Lineage · 2021–2025
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Mel Tucker → Jonathan Smith. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Pat Fitzgerald
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 2 · StarterR05 · Part-time starter
Part-time starter. Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.
Trophy Case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-CONFERENCE
All-Conf mention (2023)
All-Sun Belt
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Michigan State | 73 | 32 | 4.5 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | Michigan State | 33 | 18 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Old Dominion | 135 | 40 | 9.5 | 3.5 | 3 | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Old Dominion | 13 | 6 | 0.0 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2021 | Old Dominion | 1 | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 255 | 96 | 14.0 | 4.5 | 4 | 1 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2025
W 41–24
vs Youngstown State
10 TOT · 4 SOLO
How he plays
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Michigan State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Linebacker · Michigan State
Returning around him
- 2 Michigan State players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -18 net (28 in / 46 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Michigan State · Last season: 4-8 · Talent rank #38 · 2026 recruiting class #45
DNA match
Player DNA
Balanced Linebacker
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Darius McKenzie’s 2025 season.
Matches Darius on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Shammond Cooper's graduate season at Akron (2025).
Matches Shammond on