The offseason roster churn continues
We’re still weeks away from the start of spring football, but we already have a spring departure from the Texas A&M roster, as it has been reported that third year Aggie safety Jacoby Mathews intends to enter the transfer portal when it opens later this semester.
BREAKING: Texas A&M Safety Jacoby Mathews plans to enter the Transfer Portal when the Spring Window opens in April, he tells @on3sports
The 6’2 205 S totaled 67 Tackles, 1 INT, & 7 PD in his 2 years with the Aggies
Was ranked as the No. 1 Safety in the ‘22 Class (Per On3) … pic.twitter.com/8DBEaivfaz
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) February 24, 2024
Mathews overtook Jardin Gilbert for the starting spot in 2023, but likely faced some competition for the job in 2024, with Dalton Brooks and Jared Kerr returning as well as Mike Elko and his staff bringing in three safeties from the transfer portal in Trey Jones, De’Rickey Wright and Marcus Ratcliffe. A&M also welcomes two freshman safeties to the group as well in Myles David and Jordan Pride, so even with the departure of Mathews, depth at the position is not expected to be an issue. You might even see Bryce Anderson (who played mostly at Nickel Corner in 2023) return to the safety spot.
As is always the case with transfers, especially those following a coaching change, we often don’t know the whole story. Maybe the depth chart wasn’t shaping up to his liking. Maybe changes in offseason routine/expectations rubbed him the wrong way. Maybe he got an improved NIL deal or just simply wants to play somehwere else. Speculate if you want, but there’s a litany of reasons players change teams in 2024.
In two seasons in College Station, Mathews appeared in 21 games and tallied 67 tackles, eight passes defended and one interception. He will enter the portal with two years of eligibility remaining, and due to the fact that he did not enter the portal prior to Feb. 1, will not be eligible to transfer to another SEC program.