Former Tennessee DB Jordan Matthews says he’s on ‘winning side’ of rivalry after transfer to Vanderbilt
By Jake Faigus
Published:
One of the more underrated rivalries in the SEC is the battle for the Volunteer State between Vanderbilt and Tennessee. The 2 don’t play until Thanksgiving weekend every season, but recently there was some off-field talk about the rivalry by a former Vol turned Commodore.
Jordan Matthews entered the NCAA Transfer Portal on December 7 out of Tennessee and committed to Vanderbilt on December 18, 3 days before Tennessee played at Ohio State in the first round of the College Football Playoff. The defensive back earned a solid role with Vanderbilt though, having totaled 5 tackles, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery through 4 games for the Commodores.
Matthews said he has heard from his old teammates back at Tennessee about the move, but he is embracing it. Then he dropped the bomb: Matthews insisted that Vanderbilt is the “winning” side of the rivalry.
“Some of my guys back at Tennessee have given me some stuff for it. It’s a nice rivalry, it’s deep and rich. I embrace that I’m on the other side of it, and now, I’m on the winning side.”
It remains to be seen how this rivalry matchup will go at the end of the year, but Tennessee leads the series 80-33-5 dating back to 1892. Despite the added juice from Matthews, the Volunteers have owned this rivalry historically.
Could the tide turn in Vanderbilt’s favor this year, though? Vanderbilt is off to a 4-0 start and ranked No. 18 in the AP Top 25 after home wins over Charleston Southern and Georgia State and road wins at Virginia Tech and South Carolina. Things are going great for the Commodores, but time will tell if they show up against the Volunteers at the end of the year.
