JUCO commit 'could flourish at receiver or running back'

AUBURN | When Octavius Matthews flipped his commitment from Louisville to Auburn in June, he was expected to fill the role of a speed back for the Tigers.

The Itawamba (Miss.) Community College standout could still fill that role but he may be a better fit as a wide receiver. Maybe both.

“I don’t think you can go wrong,” Itawamba coach Sean Cannon said. “I do think he’ll definitely get bigger just being in a weight program. He’s very talented catching the football and has great hands. He did a good job out of the backfield for us this year and playing some receiver.

“I think he can be a guy that they can use in multiple positions and he could flourish at receiver or running back.”

Matthews was Itawamba’s leading rusher this season with 645 yards and five touchdowns on 90 carries. He added 15 catches for 220 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged 8.2 yards per touch.

“I thought he had a really solid season for us and made some big plays,” Cannon said. “Everybody kind of knows who he is so it was tough week in and week out to get what he got, but I thought he did a good job for us this year running and catching the ball.”

Cannon said Matthews was also a fan favorite off the field including to his own children.

“He’s just a great kid. He’s one of my kids’ favorite players. They always flock to him,” Cannon said. “He’s always very humble and never gives us any problems. Sometimes it can be a drawback kids getting recruited early and thinking they can put it on coast mode a little bit, but I never thought that he did that. I thought he really came in and worked his tail off and tried to get better at his game.”

Athletically, Cannon compares Matthews to former Itawamba cornerback Darius Slay, who went on to star at Mississippi State and is now starting for the Detroit Lions.

“Octavius was probably one of the top three athletes we’ve had since I’ve been here in seven football seasons,” Cannon said. “The thing that I pressed on him more than anything is not to waste what he has talent-wise and to keep pushing himself.”

Cannon firmly believes Matthews’ best playing days are ahead of him. He expects him to add more size and strength to his 6-foot-1, 205-pound frame once the December graduate joins Auburn for winter workouts in January.

He also expects the increased competition of playing at an SEC school like Auburn to provide extra motivation.

“Get him around guys that are established and been in that program before and have done it at that level, I just think that’s going to pick his game up even farther,” he said.

Matthews, who is from North Jackson in Stevenson, Ala., will officially visit Auburn this weekend. He's scheduled to sign with Auburn Dec. 14, the first day of the junior college early signing period.