Top ’26 CB Samari Matthews discusses NC State interest

Samari Matthews is a rising sophomore with more than 20 offers and projects as one of the nation’s top prospects. The class of 2026 cornerback is already 6-0, 172 pounds and holds offers from NC State, Florida State, UNC and others. 

He stepped into a significant role with Hough High very quickly as a freshman. The cornerback made his high school debut with multiple Division-I offers, but Matthews said he was nervous at first when he took the field. 

Within his first couple of games, the rising sophomore realized he could not only play, but also star at the North Carolina 4A level. 

“After we played Mooresville that second week, I got in my groove a little bit, so my confidence grew,” Matthews said. 

During his second game of the season, he recorded 5 tackles. The following week, he recorded his first high school interception. Matthews helped lock down his side of the field as Hough finished the year 11-3. 

His recruitment surged from there. 

NC State offered shortly after his freshman season concluded. Even before he heard the good news from the Wolfpack, he had a bond with cornerbacks coach Brian Mitchell that stretched back to a previous trip to campus. 

“We already had a relationship because, at the NC State camp, he had pulled me into his office and I got to see like the playbook and everything then,” Matthews said. 

He saw the Wolfpack’s scheme playbook while on that trip and left thinking the program’s defense could fit him well on the field. Mitchell impressed Matthews during their early conversations. 

“I like him,” Matthews said. “He’s definitely a coach who knows what he’s talking about, and I like his schemes.”

The Wolfpack assistant has an established track record of developing NFL-caliber defensive backs, and that’s important to the rising sophomore.

“It definitely means a lot to me because I know I’m going to a coach who will make sure I’m good,” Matthews said. “I’ll be in good hands, and he will make sure I’ll be the best me I can be.”

Moving forward in his recruitment, Matthews wants to learn more about NC State’s history as a program, grow a stronger bond with coach Mitchell and take a deeper look at the Wolfpack defense. He does not have a date set but plans on visiting Raleigh in the fall. 

Matthews stopped by UNC and Florida State this summer. The Tar Heels lead his Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) at 35.1 percent.

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