Ryan Jefforey Mathews (born October 10, 1987) is an American former professional football running back.

He played college football for the Fresno State Bulldogs, earning second-team All-American honors in 2009.

[2] As a child, he and his mother moved to Tehachapi, a small city 35 miles southeast of Bakersfield, to be closer to family.

[6] Mathews attended West High School in Bakersfield, California, where he played football and ran track.

As a junior, he led West High to a CIF championship while rushing for 1,104 yards and 18 touchdowns on offense and totaling 97 tackles and 16 sacks on defense.

[citation needed] Regarded as a three-star recruit, many Pac-10 and Big 12 schools had interest in him, but backed away because of fears he would not be academically eligible.

[36][37][38] In December 2009, Mathews decided to forgo his senior season and enter the 2010 NFL draft.

[39] His 1,808 yards rushing ranks him behind only LaDainian Tomlinson and George Jones in the WAC season record books.

[46] In his NFL debut in Week 1, he had 20 carries for 78 rushing yards in the 21–14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

[51] He finished with 1,091 rushing yards and six touchdowns and made the Pro Bowl as an alternate for Ray Rice.

[52] On August 9, 2012, Mathews broke his right clavicle on his first carry in the first preseason game of 2012 against the Green Bay Packers.

[56] On December 16 against the Carolina Panthers, Mathews broke his left clavicle and was placed on season-ending injured reserve for the remainder of the 2012 season.

[64] The following week in the regular season finale, he ran for a career-high 144 yards in a 27–24 overtime win over Kansas City that qualified San Diego for the playoffs.

[65] Still hurting, he started the following game in the Divisional Round against the Denver Broncos despite being unable to practice the entire week.

[69] After suffering an ankle sprain in Week 14 against the New England Patriots, he missed the remainder of the regular season.

[75][76] When Murray went down with a hamstring injury in week 3, Mathews stepped up against the 2–0 New York Jets and rushed for 108 yards on 24 carries while catching a 23-yard receiving touchdown.

[79] Mathews' chances of starting were damaged when he was knocked out with a concussion in a 20–19 loss to the Miami Dolphins, which led to Darren Sproles becoming the feature back.

[80] Upon his return, he played on an average level, but had a good game against the 11–2 Arizona Cardinals (11 carries for 58 yards) and finally won the starting job.

[81] Ultimately, he lost his starting job to DeMarco Murray in a Week 16 loss to the Redskins, where he had four carries for five yards and a touchdown.

[87] He was placed on injured reserve on December 27, 2016, after suffering a herniated disc during a game against the New York Giants in Week 16.