College football journeyman Tray Matthews' next stop is X.
After stops at Georgia and Auburn, Matthews was selected with the No. xx pick in the 2018 NFL Draft X round on Saturday afternoon.
Charges of misdemeanor theft and a verbal altercation with a UGA professor led to Matthews' dismissal from the Georgia program in June 2014. About a week later, the safety committed to Auburn.
He sat out 2014 in accordance with NCAA transfer rules before playing his final three seasons with the Tigers, when Matthews visibly matured after a troubled stint with the Bulldogs. Before the 2017 season, he joined fellow seniors Braden Smith and Daniel Carlson as Auburn's representatives at SEC Media Days in Hoover, Alabama.
“At Georgia, you know, I was a freshman, 17, 18 years old, very immature,” Matthews said in Hoover. “I just had to grow up. That right there grew me up quick.
“My dad always told me, ‘If you fall down and something happens, you just can’t harp on it, you just can’t moan on it. You learn from it, and you move on.' That’s exactly what I’ve done. It made me a better person.”
A starter in 2016 and 2017, Matthews totaled 180 tackles, five interceptions and a trio of forced fumbles in his career. He led the team in tackles in 2016 and received a Senior Bowl invite at the conclusion of last season.
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