One of the top offensive tackles in the southeast has made his college decision. Brentwood (Tenn.) Academy standout Bryce Mathews ended his recruitment on Friday with a call to the SEC.

Bryce Mathews is ranked as the No. 3 prospect in Tennessee.

"I decided I'm going with Ole Miss," Mathews told 247Sports. "The first time I went there I was really drawn by what the coaches were saying. I felt a great connection with the coaches. I loved the town. It's a great town with the square. I felt like a lot of signs were pointing me there."

Among those signs pointing Mathews towards Oxford were a couple of friends and teammates joining the Rebel program as walk-ons. Dawson Knox will walk-on at Ole Miss as a quarterback after missing his entire senior season at Brentwood Academy due to injury. More recently, long snapper Jack Propst decided to walk-on at Ole Miss as a long snapper. Those additions only added to Mathews' confidence.

"I can go play with those guys and being able to play with them would be a great experience," he said. "Playing in the SEC is a great deal. Being able to play where my family can see me often would be a really cool thing too."



There were plenty of reasons for other programs to grab Mathews. His father Jason Mathews played his college football at Texas A&M before a long NFL career. One of his best friends, teammate Ryan Johnson, is committed to the in-state program of Tennessee. Clemson also made a strong push. In the end, Ole Miss won out over Clemson and the Vols in his final group.

"After that June visit, I always felt drawn to the place, but I felt this is where I wanted to go," Mathews said of Ole Miss. "I felt drawn there."

Mathews continues a strong recruiting presence for Ole Miss in the state of Tennessee, particularly in the mid-state behind the efforts of Maurice Harris and Matt Luke. In the class of 2015, the Rebels were able to pull in a commitment from Nashville Christian offensive tackle Alex Givens. That pickup also played a role in Mathews' decision.

"I've talked to Alex Givens a lot," he said. "He's rooming with Dawson and he seems like the kind of guy that'd be cool to play with and I know I've got a friend in him. It's nice to see guys from this area going down there and making that transition and I know I'll be able to do that too."

Mathews is ranked by the industry generated 247Sports Composite as the No. 24 offensive tackle in the country and the No. 3 player in the state of Tennessee. At 6-foot-5.5, 280 pounds, he is a prototype offensive tackle in terms of size, length and fundamentals. This fall Mathews will help piece together one of the top offensive lines in Tennessee on a team with state championship aspirations.

