Michigan, SEC Schools Have Attention of 4-Star TE Jacob Mathis

It's been a good week for Tampa, Florida, 4-star tight end Jacob Mathis.

On Wednesday, Mathis accepted an invitation to the Under Armour All-America Game. Thursday morning, the Berkeley Preparatory School standout handled business in the classroom with a good grade on his microbiology midterm.

Who knows what the weekend will provide him? Perhaps additional offers to the reported list of 30 that he already owns?

Official visits will be a topic of discussion very soon for Mathis, the nation's No. 10 tight end in the 2016 class. He has four official visits left after taking a trip to Michigan in October. Mathis said his next visits all may be SEC stops.

"I'm looking at going to Ole Miss, Alabama and Florida," he said. "Right now, I'm planning to take visits in January. I'm probably going to wait it out to make my decision."

The upcoming visits will have to follow a Michigan trip that set the bar for Mathis, a flex tight end now standing a shade under 6'5" and weighing 233 pounds. Mathis took the trip when the Wolverines hosted Northwestern and called the experience "unbelievable."

"I'm super comfortable with the coaching staff there, and I got to hang around some of the commits and get a feel for the type of people they're recruiting," Mathis said of Michigan. "I like the guys who are already committed there. The Big House, what a great experience to get to go to a game with all the history behind that stadium."

The Wolverines have made a solid effort in recruiting Mathis, as he has received two visits from Michigan coaches since the end of November. The race, however, could stretch into national signing day in February, as Mathis said he wants to make sure no option is left unturned.

This is good news for Ole Miss, Alabama and Florida. He made unofficial visits to Alabama and Ole Miss in July, and he visited Florida in October. The Gators are hoping to use proximity to their advantage as Gainesville, Florida, is roughly 2.5 hours from Mathis' hometown.

Whichever school lands Mathis gets an athlete who can line up either as a traditional tight end on the line or split wide as a receiver. He possesses solid strength and has good size and hands, which puts him in a position to win multiple one-on-one battles against smaller defenders. It's his ability to make plays in traffic that may give him the green light to see early playing time in his college career.

Credit: 247Sports.com

Mathis said the three SEC schools will get an official visit, but that means he'll still have one visit to use at his discretion. He said the opportunity is open for all schools, but he added that he'll be quick to delete a program if it doesn't have everything he's looking for.

"I like being around a great coaching staff and a great group of guys, and I want to be able to put myself in a position to succeed," said Mathis, who wants to major in business communication. "I want to know, will I enjoy playing football? Could I enjoy going to school there if I wasn't playing football? It's all going to come down to where I feel most comfortable and where I feel I can succeed the most."

Recruiting is important to Mathis, but he also has personal development high on his radar. He's looking for the Under Armour game to assist with that. Mathis said he's excited to represent his home state and play in the Jan. 2 event in Orlando.

"It's pretty cool knowing that guys like Julio Jones and A.J. Green have played in this," he said. "I've had friends play in it in the past, so it's a cool community to be a part of it."

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles