Inside scoop on how Maryland landed Top247 edge rusher Zahir Mathis
How did Maryland go from non-factor to landing Top247 edge rusher Zahir Mathis?
Less than three months ago, Top247 edge rusher Zahir Mathis was committed to Ohio State and toying with the idea of flipping to Penn State. Even when he reopened his recruitment Nov. 18 by decommitting from the Buckeyes, Maryland was not under consideration.
So how did the Terps go from non-factor to landing the highest-rated unsigned edge rusher and beating Florida State Wednesday?
Insiders involved with Mathis' recruitment shared how it happened.
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– It started with No. 5 quarterback Malik Washington, who signed with the Terps in December and enrolled two weeks ago.
Washington and Mathis played youth football for the Maryland Heat as eighth graders, and they stayed in touch throughout their high school careers.
Washington was at Severn (Md.) Archbishop Spalding and Mathis was at Philadelphia Imhotep. The two schools played during the 2023 season, and Washington and Mathis stayed in contact.
When they both played at the Under Armour All-America Game a month ago, the idea of playing together in college took shape.
– Florida State was one of the first programs to reach out after the decommitment. The message from coach Mike Norvell centered around Mathis being a priority for the Seminoles now that he was on the market.
When Mathis made his official visit Jan. 10-12, he started building a relationship with defensive line coach Terrance Knighton and defensive coordinator Tony White.
The defensive fit would focus on moving Mathis around on the defensive line; from an inside position all the way to a wide-9, which puts him on the far end of the defensive line.
– Maryland increased its interest in Mathis, and it came with a different defensive approach. Mathis figured he would play with his hand in the ground in college, but the Terps had a different idea.
They wanted to stand him up, drop him into coverage at times and take him outside of his football comfort zone. Mathis liked the idea of becoming a more versatile defender.
– Distance and how it relates to family became a factor, and the Terps won in that area.
Not only is campus two hours from his Philadelphia family, but the Terps made Mathis' grandparents feel comfortable during the visit. Getting to games, or even to campus to visit Mathis, was mapped out and Locksley did a phenomenal job in not just recruiting Mathis, but his family.
– The big play Maryland used in getting Mathis was encouraging him to be comfortable being uncomfortable. Maryland pushed to challenge Mathis to develop parts of his game, like dropping into coverage, and it resonated with him. He latched onto that, and it proved to be a deciding factor.
– The path of both programs was considered. Florida State is one season removed from a perfect regular season, but a lot of that was offset by a catastrophic 2024 in which the Seminoles went 2-10. Florida State has three losing seasons in five years under Norvell.
Meanwhile, Maryland's season was disappointing as well at 4-8, but it was coming off three straight winning seasons, including a pair of eight-win seasons, and three bowl wins in three years.
The Terps' class ranks No. 22 with Mathis in it, it is the highest-ranked class since 2021.
– Washington, the quarterback, was a huge player in this and the Seminoles did not have an equal.
Washington spent a lot of time at the all-American game recruiting Mathis, and then spent hours upon hours recruiting him during the official visit this past weekend. The familiarity and comfort Mathis felt with Washington was not present with Florida State.
