Maryland football shocked some people on Wednesday when it landed elite four-star Edge rusher Zahir Mathis to close out its 2025 recruiting class. The former Ohio State commit picked the Terrapins over Florida State, but both UCLA and Michigan were in the mix at one point in time. Mathis comes to Maryland as the 122nd-ranked prospect in the '25 class, according to the Composite.
With Mathis in the fold, Maryland can now pair him with 2026 five-star Edge rusher, Zion Elee, who is committed to the Terps. Head coach Mike Locksley officially signed a top-25 class with Maryland coming in at No. 25.
Welcome @ZahirMathis5 ‼️
— Maryland Football (@TerpsFootball) February 5, 2025
Learn about the new Terp ⬇️ https://t.co/vVqyILPmdl pic.twitter.com/RyQ1WKZ6Ir
Here's what you need to know about Mathis:
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – University of Maryland Head Coach Mike Locksley announced today that defensive lineman Zahir Mathis has signed a Big Ten athletics scholarship agreement to play football for the Terrapins during the late signing period, which began on Wednesday.
Mathis joins the 20 student-athletes that signed during the early signing period in December to make up Maryland's 2025 class, which is now ranked No. 22 nationally by 247Sports. It's Maryland's highest ranked class since 2021.
With the addition of Mathis, the Terps have signed eight four-star prospects during this signing period. Maryland has also signed seven members of the ESPN300, marking the most for the Terps in the ESPN recruiting rankings era (dating to 2006).
More info on Mathis is listed below.
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
High School: Imhotep Institute
Position: DL
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