“The Coach Never Liked Me,” Baylor Player Claims
As the sun dipped below the horizon on the quiet Baylor University campus, sophomore running back Marcus Edwards sat alone in his dorm room, staring at the flickering screen of his phone. The message he had just received was a stark reminder of the past months — months filled with frustration, doubt, and a sense that he didn’t quite belong.
He had been recruited with high expectations. Marcus was a four-star prospect out of Dallas, with the speed to burn defenses and the strength to break tackles. Baylor had courted him, made him feel like the centerpiece of their future offense. But something had changed once he arrived in Waco. He quickly found himself on the outside looking in, despite being one of the most talented players on the roster.
Marcus had always been a quiet leader, a player who let his actions on the field do the talking. But after a series of frustrating practices and limited playing time, he began to feel like something was off. It wasn’t just the lack of opportunities; it was the way head coach Rick Matthews seemed to single him out. Matthews, a hard-nosed coach known for his relentless pursuit of perfection, didn’t seem to have much patience for Marcus, and the young running back could feel the tension building with every passing day.
“The coach never liked me,” Marcus would later confess to a close friend after the season ended. “I don’t know what happened, but it felt like from day one, he just didn’t believe in me.”
It was during a late-night practice session that Marcus realized things might be more serious than he initially thought. The team had been running drills, and he had fumbled the ball — something that never happened in high school. Coach Matthews had been on him, his voice sharp and cold as he demanded better ball security.
“You’re not good enough to make mistakes like that,” Matthews barked, his words cutting through the night air.
Marcus could feel the heat rise in his chest. He wasn’t a mistake-prone player, and yet here he was, feeling like he couldn’t do anything right in Matthews’ eyes. The other players had finished their drills and were slowly gathering their gear, but Marcus lingered, trying to get his mind back into the game.
“I just wanted to prove myself,” Marcus remembered later, his voice tinged with regret. “But every time I tried, it felt like I was just getting knocked down harder.”
The feeling of rejection intensified when Marcus saw other players get chances he thought he had earned. Freshmen running backs, who hadn’t even been on the team for as long as him, were getting more snaps in practice and even in games. It was as though the coach had already made up his mind that Marcus wasn’t good enough to lead the backfield, despite his undeniable potential.
What hurt most was the lack of communication. Coach Matthews never once pulled Marcus aside to offer advice or encouragement. Instead, he seemed to only notice Marcus when he made a mistake. As the weeks went by, the once-confident player began to lose his edge.
The breaking point came after a close loss to a rival school. Marcus had played sparingly, with just a handful of carries. He had been ready to break through, but the opportunities never came. After the game, he overheard Coach Matthews talking to an assistant coach in the locker room.
“Edwards just doesn’t have it,” Matthews had said, his tone dismissive. “I don’t know if he’s cut out for this level.”
Hearing those words crushed Marcus. It confirmed what he had felt all along: Coach Matthews never believed in him. That was the moment when Marcus knew he had to make a decision — either he would leave the program, or he would have to fight for his place on the field.
In the end, Marcus chose to stay, but the damage had been done. The season ended with Baylor’s offense failing to find its rhythm, and Marcus was left wondering if things might have been different if Coach Matthews had given him a real chance. His confidence shattered, he began to question his worth and whether he was truly capable of succeeding at the next level.
As the offseason approached, Marcus knew one thing for sure: he would work tirelessly to prove not just to his coach but to himself that he could rise above the doubt and reclaim the promise that had once made him a coveted recruit. Whether or not Coach Matthews would ever recognize his worth was unclear, but Marcus was determined to show everyone that he was more than the coach’s skepticism.
