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Jersey Number 10
Wayne Matthews III
- Position:
- LB
- Ht./Wt.:
- 6-2 / 230
- Class:
- Redshirt Senior
- Hometown:
- Largo, Md.
- High School:
- Charles Herbert Flowers
- Prev School:
- Old Dominion
Career Bio (PDF)
Two-year Spartan letterwinner played in 47 collegiate games (26 at Old Dominion from 2021-23; 21 at MSU in 2024-25) . . . transferred to Michigan State in January 2024 after spending three years at Old Dominion (2021-23) . . . recorded 254 career tackles, including 14.0 TFLs (77 yards) and 3.5 sacks (32 yards) . . . also had one interception to go with four pass break-ups, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries . . . had 148 tackles in 26 games, including 13 starts, at ODU; had 106 tackles in 21 games, with 12 starts, at MSU, including 4.5 tackles for loss (14 yards), one interception and one fumble recovery . . . had nine career games with double-digit tackles after eight in 2023 while at Old Dominion and one at MSU in 2025 . . . ranked second in the Sun Belt Conference and 11th in the FBS with 135 tackles (10.4 avg.), during the 2023 season and was a third-team All-SBC selection.
2025 SEASON (REDSHIRT SENIOR AT MICHIGAN STATE): Honorable mention All-Big Ten choice by the media . . . ranked second on the team with 73 tackles . . . started all 12 game at linebacker . . . tied for second on the team with 4.5 tackles for loss (14 yards) . . . also had one interception and one pass break-up . . . registered 699 snaps, which topped the linebacker corps and ranked second overall on defense, out of the 781 total defensive snaps . . . Academic All-Big Ten selection . . . had six tackles in his final collegiate game against Maryland at Ford Field while playing all 78 defensive snaps (11/29) . . . started game at Iowa (11/22) and led the Spartan defense with nine tackles, his second-most of the season behind season-best 10 stops vs. Youngstown State (9/13/25), including 1.0 tackle for loss (8 yards), in charting 60 of the 61 defensive snaps . . . was one of starting linebackers in Penn State game (11/15), sharing the team lead with eight tackles, adding 1.0 TFL and one pass break-up, while charting all 63 defensive snaps . . . started game at Minnesota (11/1) and logged four tackles in playing in 65 of 66 defensive snaps . . . opened Michigan game (10/25) at linebacker and logged five tackles, including 0.5 TFL in playing in all 69 defensive snaps, the only Spartan defensive player and the only defensive player on either team to play in every snap . . . started game at Indiana (10/18) and posted five tackles in playing 57 snaps . . . started UCLA game (10/11) and posted five stops in logging 56 snaps . . . drew fifth start of season in game five at Nebraska (10/4), notching five stops with 1.0 TFL in charting 41 snaps . . . opened game at USC (9/20) starting at linebacker and tallied two tackles in 37 snaps, before suffering injury in second quarter and did not return to action . . . started for third time in as many games this season in Youngstown State game (9/13), and matched his jersey number with 10 tackles . . . started Boston College contest (9/6) at linebacker and notched eight tackles, including 0.5 tackle for loss, in posting 67 snaps, which led the linebackers and ranked third overall on the defense . . . snared first career interception in season opener vs. Western Michigan (8/29), after starting at linebacker, finishing with six stops, including 0.5 tackle for loss, in logging 52 of the 58 total defensive snaps, ranking second among linebacker corps and tied for second overall on the defense.
2024 SEASON (REDSHIRT JUNIOR): Played in the first nine games before missing last three games with an injury . . . ranked eighth on team with 33 tackles (18 solo, 15 assists) . . . logged 243 snaps on defense at linebacker . . . tallied three tackles in Indiana game, charting 29 snaps . . . registered four tackles in 23 snaps at Michigan . . . logged four tackles in Iowa game in charting 27 snaps . . . recorded three tackles in game at Oregon, notching 43 plays . . . tallied three tackles in Ohio State game, charting 25 snaps . . . logged four stops in game at Boston College, registering first fumble recovery of the season and just the second of his career, in posting 27 snaps, with fumble recovery coming after teammate and fellow linebacker Cal Haladay forced fumble at the MSU 7 . . . tallied two tackles in Prairie View A&M game, notching 23 snaps . . . was honorary game captain for game at Maryland, with a large contingent of family and friends in the stands from his nearby hometown of Largo, Maryland, and posted six tackles in 24 plays . . . registered three tackles in Spartan debut, logging 22 snaps.
2023 SEASON (REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE AT OLD DOMINION): Ranked second in the Sun Belt Conference and 11th in the FBS with 135 tackles (10.4 avg.) . . . third-team All-SBC selection . . . played 936 snaps, tied for fourth most among FBS linebackers, according to Pro Football Focus . . . posted a grade of 82.9 by PFF, tied for 21st in the nation among FBS linebackers with more than 250 snaps . . . started all 13 games for the Monarchs . . . ranked second on the team with 9.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks . . . also had three forced fumbles and three pass break-ups . . . posted double-digit tackles in seven games . . . in addition, made 118 appearances on special teams . . . had 14 tackles and a sack in the Famous Toastery Bowl against Western Kentucky (12/18) . . . totaled a career-high 16 tackles and added two tackles for loss in the regular-season finale win over Georgia State (11/25) . . . recorded seven tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss in the win at Georgia Southern (11/18) . . . had 14 stops at Liberty (11/11) . . . registered 14 tackles and half a TFL vs. Coastal Carolina (11/4) . . . notched six tackles in the win over App State (10/21) . . . recorded 10 tackles in the win at Southern Miss (10/7) . . . had 10 tackles and recovered a fumble for a 55-yard return at Marshall (9/30) . . . totaled seven tackles, one sack and 1.5 tackles for loss in the win over Texas A&M Commerce (9/23) . . . notched nine tackles and a TFL against Wake Forest (9/16) . . . registered 10 tackles in the win over Louisiana (9/9) . . . recorded eight tackles in the season opener at Virginia Tech (9/2).
2022 SEASON (REDSHIRT FRESHMAN AT OLD DOMINION): Played in 10 games to earn his first letter for the Monarchs . . . saw action on 15 snaps on defense and 120 on special teams . . . recorded 13 tackles and had a forced fumble . . . finished second on the team with seven special teams tackles . . . had a season-best six stops and forced a fumble at Appalachian State.
2021 SEASON (FRESHMAN AT OLD DOMINION): Played in three games (Western Kentucky, Charlotte, Tulsa) on special teams to preserve his redshirt season.
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Played high school football at Charles Herbert Flowers High School . . . helped lead Flowers to the state quarterfinals of the players as a junior in 2019 . . . earned first-team all-county honors in 2018 as a sophomore . . . son of Wayne Matthews Jr. and Yolanda West . . . full name is Wayne Eugene Matthews III . . . interdisciplinary studies in social science major.
Two-year Spartan letterwinner played in 47 collegiate games (26 at Old Dominion from 2021-23; 21 at MSU in 2024-25) . . . transferred to Michigan State in January 2024 after spending three years at Old Dominion (2021-23) . . . recorded 254 career tackles, including 14.0 TFLs (77 yards) and 3.5 sacks (32 yards) . . . also had one interception to go with four pass break-ups, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries . . . had 148 tackles in 26 games, including 13 starts, at ODU; had 106 tackles in 21 games, with 12 starts, at MSU, including 4.5 tackles for loss (14 yards), one interception and one fumble recovery . . . had nine career games with double-digit tackles after eight in 2023 while at Old Dominion and one at MSU in 2025 . . . ranked second in the Sun Belt Conference and 11th in the FBS with 135 tackles (10.4 avg.), during the 2023 season and was a third-team All-SBC selection.
2025 SEASON (REDSHIRT SENIOR AT MICHIGAN STATE): Honorable mention All-Big Ten choice by the media . . . ranked second on the team with 73 tackles . . . started all 12 game at linebacker . . . tied for second on the team with 4.5 tackles for loss (14 yards) . . . also had one interception and one pass break-up . . . registered 699 snaps, which topped the linebacker corps and ranked second overall on defense, out of the 781 total defensive snaps . . . Academic All-Big Ten selection . . . had six tackles in his final collegiate game against Maryland at Ford Field while playing all 78 defensive snaps (11/29) . . . started game at Iowa (11/22) and led the Spartan defense with nine tackles, his second-most of the season behind season-best 10 stops vs. Youngstown State (9/13/25), including 1.0 tackle for loss (8 yards), in charting 60 of the 61 defensive snaps . . . was one of starting linebackers in Penn State game (11/15), sharing the team lead with eight tackles, adding 1.0 TFL and one pass break-up, while charting all 63 defensive snaps . . . started game at Minnesota (11/1) and logged four tackles in playing in 65 of 66 defensive snaps . . . opened Michigan game (10/25) at linebacker and logged five tackles, including 0.5 TFL in playing in all 69 defensive snaps, the only Spartan defensive player and the only defensive player on either team to play in every snap . . . started game at Indiana (10/18) and posted five tackles in playing 57 snaps . . . started UCLA game (10/11) and posted five stops in logging 56 snaps . . . drew fifth start of season in game five at Nebraska (10/4), notching five stops with 1.0 TFL in charting 41 snaps . . . opened game at USC (9/20) starting at linebacker and tallied two tackles in 37 snaps, before suffering injury in second quarter and did not return to action . . . started for third time in as many games this season in Youngstown State game (9/13), and matched his jersey number with 10 tackles . . . started Boston College contest (9/6) at linebacker and notched eight tackles, including 0.5 tackle for loss, in posting 67 snaps, which led the linebackers and ranked third overall on the defense . . . snared first career interception in season opener vs. Western Michigan (8/29), after starting at linebacker, finishing with six stops, including 0.5 tackle for loss, in logging 52 of the 58 total defensive snaps, ranking second among linebacker corps and tied for second overall on the defense.
2024 SEASON (REDSHIRT JUNIOR): Played in the first nine games before missing last three games with an injury . . . ranked eighth on team with 33 tackles (18 solo, 15 assists) . . . logged 243 snaps on defense at linebacker . . . tallied three tackles in Indiana game, charting 29 snaps . . . registered four tackles in 23 snaps at Michigan . . . logged four tackles in Iowa game in charting 27 snaps . . . recorded three tackles in game at Oregon, notching 43 plays . . . tallied three tackles in Ohio State game, charting 25 snaps . . . logged four stops in game at Boston College, registering first fumble recovery of the season and just the second of his career, in posting 27 snaps, with fumble recovery coming after teammate and fellow linebacker Cal Haladay forced fumble at the MSU 7 . . . tallied two tackles in Prairie View A&M game, notching 23 snaps . . . was honorary game captain for game at Maryland, with a large contingent of family and friends in the stands from his nearby hometown of Largo, Maryland, and posted six tackles in 24 plays . . . registered three tackles in Spartan debut, logging 22 snaps.
2023 SEASON (REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE AT OLD DOMINION): Ranked second in the Sun Belt Conference and 11th in the FBS with 135 tackles (10.4 avg.) . . . third-team All-SBC selection . . . played 936 snaps, tied for fourth most among FBS linebackers, according to Pro Football Focus . . . posted a grade of 82.9 by PFF, tied for 21st in the nation among FBS linebackers with more than 250 snaps . . . started all 13 games for the Monarchs . . . ranked second on the team with 9.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks . . . also had three forced fumbles and three pass break-ups . . . posted double-digit tackles in seven games . . . in addition, made 118 appearances on special teams . . . had 14 tackles and a sack in the Famous Toastery Bowl against Western Kentucky (12/18) . . . totaled a career-high 16 tackles and added two tackles for loss in the regular-season finale win over Georgia State (11/25) . . . recorded seven tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss in the win at Georgia Southern (11/18) . . . had 14 stops at Liberty (11/11) . . . registered 14 tackles and half a TFL vs. Coastal Carolina (11/4) . . . notched six tackles in the win over App State (10/21) . . . recorded 10 tackles in the win at Southern Miss (10/7) . . . had 10 tackles and recovered a fumble for a 55-yard return at Marshall (9/30) . . . totaled seven tackles, one sack and 1.5 tackles for loss in the win over Texas A&M Commerce (9/23) . . . notched nine tackles and a TFL against Wake Forest (9/16) . . . registered 10 tackles in the win over Louisiana (9/9) . . . recorded eight tackles in the season opener at Virginia Tech (9/2).
2022 SEASON (REDSHIRT FRESHMAN AT OLD DOMINION): Played in 10 games to earn his first letter for the Monarchs . . . saw action on 15 snaps on defense and 120 on special teams . . . recorded 13 tackles and had a forced fumble . . . finished second on the team with seven special teams tackles . . . had a season-best six stops and forced a fumble at Appalachian State.
2021 SEASON (FRESHMAN AT OLD DOMINION): Played in three games (Western Kentucky, Charlotte, Tulsa) on special teams to preserve his redshirt season.
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Played high school football at Charles Herbert Flowers High School . . . helped lead Flowers to the state quarterfinals of the players as a junior in 2019 . . . earned first-team all-county honors in 2018 as a sophomore . . . son of Wayne Matthews Jr. and Yolanda West . . . full name is Wayne Eugene Matthews III . . . interdisciplinary studies in social science major.
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