Mike Matthews drops major hint he'll return to the Tennessee Vols in the end

Right now, everyone is on Mike Matthews watch. Over the weekend, hearts dropped everywhere when it was announced that the former 5-star Tennessee football signee was planning to enter the transfer portal. Excuse me?

Yup, it was a bit of a surprise and not an update anyone wanted to see. However, as of this writing, Matthews is yet to officially enter the portal and multiple reports have stated Josh Heupel and Co. are working overtime to keep him in town.

Not long ago, Matthews also cleared his Instagram page of his Tennessee photos, which raised plenty of eyebrows. However, Matthews has since put all of those photos back up. Is this his way of telling everyone that maybe he'll end up staying in Knoxville after all?

Tennessee Vols fans everywhere are waiting for Mike Matthews' final decision

So, after taking down the pics, they're all back up out of nowhere? This appears to be a good sign, but it's still unknown exactly what's going to end up happening with Matthews. Should he indeed end up entering the portal, he'd be the sixth Vols WR to do so in 2024. That's just wild right there.

When Matthews signed with Tennessee, he did so as a 5-star prospect and the No. 6 WR in the country. His potential is through the roof, but no one knows if he's going to keep making strides in Knoxville or if he'll play elsewhere in 2025.

This past season, Matthews posted a bit of a disappointing fall, as he only recorded seven receptions for 90 yards and two touchdowns in his debut college campaign. His lack of use in the aerial attack was obviously disappointing for him, but Heupel is trying to convince him that he's still going to be a big part on offense moving forward. Will it be enough to prevent him from leaving? We'll know for sure soon.