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Aggie Athletics made the official announcement today that Jake Matthews will be returning to A&M for his senior season. This is excellent news for the Aggies, especially as it comes on the heels of fellow All-American tackle Luke Joeckel's announcement earlier in the week to enter the NFL Draft. Matthews had this to say about his decision:
There are a few things that really swayed my decision. Number one is the opportunity to play with my younger brother, Mike. (Mike will be a sophomore offensive lineman.) That opportunity doesn't come around very often. The college experience is also a great time and with our team coming back next season, I think we have the chance to be very special. I love playing for the 12th Man. Our fans are the greatest and the atmosphere at Kyle Field is outstanding.
Matthews will slide over to left tackle, and early speculation is that guard Cedric Ogbuehi will move to right tackle and Mike Matthews will step in at center. Jarvis Harrison also returns, leaving only one guard spot up for grabs in 2013. This kind of stability on an offensive line that played so well in 2012 is really encouraging.
With three juniors projected as first-rounders this year, we knew we'd be fortunate to get one of them to stay, and that Matthews was always the most likely. That doesn't make it any more of a relief now that it's official. And there's probably one person who's happier than anyone.