The jersey number is the same. So is the name on the roster. Even the athletic talent is familiar -- the hands, the speed, the moves.
It's what is happening on the inside that is different for D.J. Matthews in 2019 -- even if he didn't necessarily start out looking to make a change.
The junior from Jacksonville, who was rated one of the nation's top players in the class of 2017, had a solid first two seasons at Florida State. As a freshman, he wont the starting punt return job midway through the season and eventually claimed a key role in the receiving corps. As a sophomore, he started six games and finished second on the team with 42 receptions for 382 yards and a touchdown.
But in the eyes of FSU's coaching staff, Matthews wasn't even beginning to reach his true potential. And the Seminoles' coaches -- led by Trae Hackett, the team's director of player development -- were not shy about letting him know.
"We used to butt heads a lot," Matthews said with a smile. "But they just wanted what was best for me. ... We used to go back and forth like a little tug-of-war. But then I came to my senses."
Matthews admits that it wasn't an easy process. He didn't necessarily see that he needed to improve his work habits, and he wasn't even sure he could trust this new coaching staff -- after all, he signed with Jimbo Fisher's crew, not Willie Taggart's.
But after relentless prodding from his roommate, quarterback James Blackman, and Hackett, Matthews said he finally saw the light earlier this year. He realized there were ways he could improve himself -- as a player, a teammate and a leader -- and he came to understand that the coaching staff only had his best interests at heart.
"They just want to see us be great," Matthews said.
In Florida State's annual spring game on Saturday, the junior wide receiver showed he could be well on his way. He led all receivers with 10 receptions for 122 yards, and he made a beautiful one-handed grab on a 38-yard pass from quarterback Jordan Travis.
Matthews has always displayed that type of ability. It's why Rivals rated him the nation's No. 5 wide receiver coming out of high school two-plus years ago.
But even then, Matthews admits, he was mostly just getting by on his natural talent.
He never saw himself as a bad teammate or an underachiever. But he also wasn't pushing himself to be great -- at least not consistently.
