In their last week of being on the road recruiting before returning to Columbus for official visits, Tim Walton and Matt Guerrieri made it a priority to stop in North Carolina to check in on a top-10 cornerback prospect in the 2026 class.
Ohio State’s tandem of secondary coaches watched four-star North Carolina prospect Samari Matthews participate in a spring football practice at William Amos Hough (Cornelius, North Carolina), then had exciting news for him after the workout ended. Walton told the 6-foot, 180-pound product he had impressed him enough to earn a scholarship to Ohio State.