If we didn't know how highly Penn State head coach James Franklin thought of his former wide receiver at Vanderbilt and current Eagles pass-catcher Jordan Matthews, we do now.

"I love Jordan," Franklin said in an appearance on Comcast SportsNet's Philly Sports Talk Monday. "I've had a man crush on Jordan for a long time. I told the Eagles' organization that when they were thinking about drafting him."

The Eagles traded up to choose Matthews in the second round of the 2014 draft and the Vanderbilt product did not disappoint. Primarily playing in the slot, Matthews hauled in 67 passes for 872 yards and eight touchdowns while catching balls from quarterbacks Nick Foles and Mark Sanchez.

Under Franklin's watch, Matthews was named to the First-Team All-SEC in 2012 and 2013 before both left the Volunteer State. Franklin, of course, took the job at Penn State prior to the 2014 season and Matthews was selected by the Eagles last year.

According to Franklin, the pair still keep in touch, with the Nittany Lions head coach hoping that Matthews someday visits Happy Valley.

"I'm hoping he'll come up and spend some time with our guys [at Penn State]," Franklin said. "If you spend any time around the guy, not only is he really talented on the football field, but he's really, really intelligent and articulate. He's charismatic."

The Eagles selected wide receiver Nelson Agholor in the first round of the NFL Draft earlier this month and not surprisingly, it was Matthews who was among the first to welcome the USC product to Philadelphia.

Matt Lombardo may be reached at MDLombardo@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattLombardo975. Find NJ.com Philadelphia Sports on Facebook