Game log · Week-by-week
2023 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 38-14vs Louisiana Tech | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 1 | 9 | Season-high 9 yds |
| Total | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 1 | 9 |
#14
Nolan Matthews
Junior tight end for SMU. 2023: 1 catch, 9 receiving yards, 1 TD.
6′6″ · 245 lb · Frisco, TX
SMU 2023 alumnus
The story
3 tight end for SMU. 2023: 1 catch, 9 receiving yards, 1 TD.
- Transferred from Arizona State to SMU in 2021.
Nolan Matthews
Is the first read once you cross the 20. Nolan Matthews has played for three head coaches across four seasons and two programs. The receipt on tape: 9 rec yds, 1 rec TD against Louisiana Tech, Week 1, 2023.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
How it ended
Four seasons at SMU, 157 receiving yards — his college career is complete.
His career
20213 games
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2019–2023
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: Sonny Dykes, Jim Leavitt, and Rhett Lashlee. Multi-era developmental context.
2023 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2019Arizona State8-5HC: Herm Edwards · Run-leaning
2021SMU8-4HC: Jim Leavitt · Balanced
2022SMU7-6HC: Rhett Lashlee · Balanced, fast tempo
2023SMU11-3HC: Rhett Lashlee · Run-leaning
Where this profile ranks vs the TE cohort
Box-score percentiles
Concern: rec yards (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (5)
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 1 game: 1.0 REC/g, 9.0 YDS/g, 9.0 YPR, 1.0 TD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Rhett Lashlee
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2023
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | SMU | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 1 | -- |
| 2022 | SMU | 2 | 28 | 14.0 | 0 | -- |
| 2021 | SMU | 8 | 84 | 10.5 | 2 | -- |
| 2019 | Arizona State | 6 | 36 | 6.0 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 17 | 157 | 9.2 | 4 | -- |
Game log
How he plays
Play style
The first read called near the goal line — size and catch radius do the rest.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Red-Zone Weapon
The first read called near the goal line — size and catch radius do the rest.
TE
His 2021 production profile sits closest to Drake Dabney’s 2021 season.
Matches Drake on
Yards / reception
Total EPA (college ability)
TD rate
Differs from Drake on
Class year (lower)
Height (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Isaiah Spencer's sophomore season at Old Dominion (2021).
Matches Isaiah on
Height
Weight
Differs from Isaiah on
Class year (lower)
TD rate (higher)
EPA / play (adj) (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Nolan Matthews
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology