Wayne Matthews (American football)

Wayne Eugene Matthews III (born July 10, 2002) is an American football linebacker for the Michigan State Spartans. He previously played for the Old Dominion Monarchs.

Early life and high school
Matthes attended high school at Charles Herbert Flowers. In his junior season, he notched 79 tackles with eight being for a loss, and three sacks. Coming out of high school, Matthews was rated as a three star recruit, where he decided to commit to play college football for the Old Dominion Monarchs.

Old Dominion
In Matthews first collegiate season, in 2021 he played in three games where he recorded no statistics, using the season to redshirt. In the 2022 season, Matthews played in ten games where he notched 13 tackles and a forced fumble. During the 2023 season, Matthews tallied 135 tackles with nine and a half being for a loss, three and a half sacks, three pass deflections, and three forced fumbles. For his performance in the 2023 season, Matthews was named third team all Sun-Belt. After the conclusion of the 2023 season, Matthews decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal.

Michigan State
Matthews decided to transfer to play for the Michigan State Spartans.