Matt Sykes

Former wide receiver at Rice. 2024: 65 catches, 795 receiving yards, 5 TD.

WR · Rice · Sr. · #8

6′4″ · 210 lb · Kapolei, HI

CFB Index 70 · #70 of 466 WRsHigh confidenceRice 2024 — college career complete

Recruiting

3★

WR recruit

No. 424 nationally · Signed with UCLA

No college snaps yet.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former wide receiver at Rice. 2024: 65 catches, 795 receiving yards, 5 TD.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to UCLA in 2020.
Transferred from UCLA to Rice in 2023.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Five seasons at Rice, 946 receiving yards — his college career is complete.

His career

He barely played early on. Then he did not come off the field.

The week the volume broke through — put up 118 yds vs South Florida.South Florida · W 35-282024

20203 games

Signed with UCLA3-star out of St. Louis School

2023

The snaps went the other way.

Entered the portal

Career arc

Recruit

★★★

#424 national

CFB

College

2 teams

2020–2024

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Coaching lineage · 2020–2024

1 coach

2020–2024

Mike Bloomgren

Rice

Played his entire career under Mike Bloomgren.

2024 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2020UCLA3-4HC: Chip Kelly · Run-heavy

2021UCLA8-4HC: Chip Kelly · Run-heavy

2022UCLA9-4HC: Chip Kelly · Run-leaning

2023Rice6-7HC: Mike Bloomgren · Balanced, slow tempo

2024Rice4-8HC: Mike Bloomgren · Pass-leaning

Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

70Quality starter #70 of 466?

High confidence13 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: receptions (93rd percentile). Strength: rec yards (85th percentile). Concern: rush yards (5th percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

EPA / target#214 / 610 · 65th pct

1.00

TD rate#315 / 610 · 48th pct

5.7%

Yards / catch#339 / 610 · 45th pct

11.5

Catch rate#383 / 610 · 37th pct

87.1%

Explosive rate#412 / 610 · 32nd pct

11.4%

Box-score rates (8)

Receptions#40 / 541 · 93rd pct

Rec yards#82 / 541 · 85th pct

795

Rec TDs#101 / 541 · 78th pct

Rush TDs#55 / 299 · 41st pct

Yards / catch#322 / 541 · 40th pct

12.2

Fumbles lost#90 / 221 · 36th pct

Long catch#410 / 541 · 24th pct

Rush yards#282 / 299 · 5th pct

-4

Season trend

EPA / target— first qualifying season

Explosive rate— first qualifying season

Catch rate— first qualifying season

TD rate— first qualifying season

Yards / catch— first qualifying season

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2024 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Home6g	6.3	85.7	14.8	0.5
Road6g	4.5	46.8	9.0	0.3

First half vs Second half

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Weeks 1-76g	5.2	65.2	12.8	0.5
Weeks 8+6g	5.7	67.3	11.0	0.3

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Scott Abell

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2024

Part-time starter

Splitting first-team reps — starts some weeks, rotates others.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

70 · #70 of 466 WRs

Three-star recruit. Now #70 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2024	Rice	65	795	12.2	5	--
2023	Rice	1	32	32.0	0	--
2022	UCLA	6	86	14.3	1	--
2021	UCLA	1	9	9.0	0	--
2020	UCLA	3	24	8.0	0	--
Career		76	946	12.4	6	--

Season	Team
2024	Rice	2	-4	--	--	--
2023	Rice	--	--	--	--	--
2022	UCLA	1	--	--	--	--
2021	UCLA	--	--	14	--	--
2020	UCLA	--	--	--	--	--
Career		3	-4	14	--	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2024

W 69–7

vs Texas Southern

2 rec · 47 yds · 1 TD

Dominant 62-point win at home against Texas Southern.

With E. Warner — 189 yds · 2 TD · 1 INT · QBR 66.7 · 8 rush yds (1 car) · D. Connors — 113 rush yds (9 car) · 3 TD

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 14 · South Florida · 2&15 · Q3 · EPA +3.98E.J. Warner pass complete to Matt Sykes for 37 yds to the USF 33 for a 1ST down
Week 7 · UTSA · 3&11 · Q4 · EPA +3.43E.J. Warner pass complete to Matt Sykes for 18 yds for a TD (Two-Point Conversion failed)
Week 10 · Navy · 3&7 · Q1 · EPA +3.14E.J. Warner pass complete to Matt Sykes for 17 yds for a TD (Tim Horn KICK)
Week 14 · South Florida · 3&9 · Q3 · EPA +3.08E.J. Warner pass complete to Matt Sykes for 19 yds to the USF 32 for a 1ST down
Week 2 · Texas Southern · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +2.94E.J. Warner pass complete to Matt Sykes for 34 yds for a TD (Enock Gota KICK)
Week 1 · Sam Houston · 3&6 · Q1 · EPA +2.86E.J. Warner pass complete to Matt Sykes for a 1ST down
Week 11 · Memphis · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +2.74E.J. Warner pass complete to Matt Sykes for 27 yds for a TD (Tim Horn KICK)
Week 10 · Navy · 3&7 · Q1 · EPA +2.24E.J. Warner pass complete to Matt Sykes for 12 yds to the RICE 41 for a 1ST down
Week 14 · South Florida · 2&8 · Q2 · EPA +2.16E.J. Warner pass complete to Matt Sykes for 17 yds to the RICE 44 for a 1ST down
Week 4 · Army · 2&9 · Q4 · EPA +2.15E.J. Warner pass complete to Matt Sykes for 13 yds to the RICE 49 for a 1ST down

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2024 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	L 14-34vs Sam Houston	6	74	12.3	0	28
Wk 2	W 69-7vs Texas Southern	2	47	23.5	1	34
Wk 3	L 7-33@ Houston	2	6	3.0	0	4
Wk 4	L 14-37@ Army	6	82	13.7	1	18
Wk 5	L 20-21vs Charlotte	8	97	12.1	0	25
Wk 7	W 29-27vs UTSA	7	85	12.1	1	18
Wk 8	L 10-24@ Tulane	7	74	10.6	0	20
Wk 9	L 10-17@ UConn	3	24	8.0	0	11
Wk 10	W 24-10vs Navy	8	93	11.6	1	21
Wk 11	L 20-27@ Memphis	6	76	12.7	1	29
Wk 13	L 14-40@ UAB	3	19	6.3	0	11
Wk 14	W 35-28vs South Florida	7	118	16.9	0	37	Season-high 118 yds
Total		65	795	11.9	5	37

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology