Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Recruiting Class of 2022 First Look: Mateo Guevara
2/22/2022 5:00:00 PM | Football
The incoming freshman o-lineman helped build a program from the ground up at Cherokee Bluff
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — When Cherokee Bluff High School took the field in their inaugural season in the fall of 2018, head coach Tommy Jones said that he started an offensive line that featured four freshmen, none of whom could bench press 100 pounds.
Mateo Guevara was on that offensive line, standing about 5-foot-11, maybe 185 pounds as a roster of freshmen and sophomores that took their licks early on, going 3-17 over his freshman and sophomore seasons. But Guevara stayed the course, bought into the program and, with some growth spurts and hard work of his own, reaped the rewards.
Guevara, standing 6-foot-4, 290 pounds after years of personal investment in the weight room, helped lead Cherokee Bluff to two regional championships with a 21-3 record as a junior and senior, earning two first team All-State selections and the region 7-AAA Lineman of the Year award in 2021.
"He's a big part of the foundation of our program," Jones said. "Mateo really fully committed himself to the process of individually becoming better. He worked hard in the weight room, he worked hard through training and you really saw him transform his body."
Guevara says his love of football probably started when he was five years old, at one of his first ever football practices. He remembers leaving practice one day upset, because he'd been beaten in the "bull ring" drill by his teammates. Guevara said he wasn't tough at the time, but his father picked him up and encouraged him. The next day?
"I actually beat the strongest guy there, and that's when I kind of fell in love with the game," Guevara said.
The commitment to the weight room, of course, jumps off the page when talking about him, Jones said, but his speed in addition to his ability to finish blocks is one trait that makes him a unique prospect.
"He does a great job on second and third level defenders," Jones said. "You don't see many big guys that have the ability to be able to do that. He's a great pass protector, very precise with his footwork."
Guevara, recruited primarily by Mike Polly and Dustin Royston, said the "beautiful" town and campus, the family atmosphere of the program and MTSU's Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship major were just some of the reasons why he decided to be a Blue Raider.
For his former head coach Jones, Guevara's intangible traits will perhaps be even harder to replace than his physical dominance on the line.
"(He put in) a lot of hard work, a lot of effort, but that's just an example of intangible qualities Mateo had," Jones said. "He's a hard worker, he's a leader, he's got tons of charisma, a great personality, and he's a team first guy, which for me and our program was huge."
Favorite Athlete: Quinton Nelson
Favorite Pro Sports Team: Colombian National Futbol Team (Both parents are from Colombia)
Fun Fact: "I have a soft side. Just because I'm big and all that, I'm not going to be mean every time, haha"
Mateo Guevara was on that offensive line, standing about 5-foot-11, maybe 185 pounds as a roster of freshmen and sophomores that took their licks early on, going 3-17 over his freshman and sophomore seasons. But Guevara stayed the course, bought into the program and, with some growth spurts and hard work of his own, reaped the rewards.
Guevara, standing 6-foot-4, 290 pounds after years of personal investment in the weight room, helped lead Cherokee Bluff to two regional championships with a 21-3 record as a junior and senior, earning two first team All-State selections and the region 7-AAA Lineman of the Year award in 2021.
"He's a big part of the foundation of our program," Jones said. "Mateo really fully committed himself to the process of individually becoming better. He worked hard in the weight room, he worked hard through training and you really saw him transform his body."
Guevara says his love of football probably started when he was five years old, at one of his first ever football practices. He remembers leaving practice one day upset, because he'd been beaten in the "bull ring" drill by his teammates. Guevara said he wasn't tough at the time, but his father picked him up and encouraged him. The next day?
"I actually beat the strongest guy there, and that's when I kind of fell in love with the game," Guevara said.
The commitment to the weight room, of course, jumps off the page when talking about him, Jones said, but his speed in addition to his ability to finish blocks is one trait that makes him a unique prospect.
"He does a great job on second and third level defenders," Jones said. "You don't see many big guys that have the ability to be able to do that. He's a great pass protector, very precise with his footwork."
Guevara, recruited primarily by Mike Polly and Dustin Royston, said the "beautiful" town and campus, the family atmosphere of the program and MTSU's Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship major were just some of the reasons why he decided to be a Blue Raider.
For his former head coach Jones, Guevara's intangible traits will perhaps be even harder to replace than his physical dominance on the line.
"(He put in) a lot of hard work, a lot of effort, but that's just an example of intangible qualities Mateo had," Jones said. "He's a hard worker, he's a leader, he's got tons of charisma, a great personality, and he's a team first guy, which for me and our program was huge."
Favorite Athlete: Quinton Nelson
Favorite Pro Sports Team: Colombian National Futbol Team (Both parents are from Colombia)
Fun Fact: "I have a soft side. Just because I'm big and all that, I'm not going to be mean every time, haha"
Players Mentioned
OL
/ FootballDerek Mason LIVE: Presented by The Boulevard Bar & Grille Week 5 (Video)
Monday, September 22
MTSU Football Weekly Press Conference 9/22/25
Monday, September 22
Blue Raider Breakdown Postgame Show - September 20th
Sunday, September 21
MTSU Football vs Marshall post-game conference - 9/20/25
Sunday, September 21
