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Maryland Football officially signs star Edge recruit Zahir Mathis
Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

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.

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

  • Consensus four-star recruit
  • ESPN 300 & Rivals 250 selection
  • Ranked as the No. 1 player in the state of Pennsylvania and a Top-100 player nationally by both ESPN & Rivals.com
  • Ranked as the fourth best Weakside Defensive End in the country per Rivals.com
  • 2025 Under Armour All-American
  • Attended Imhotep Charter School, the same school that produced Terrapin all-time great, DJ Moore
  • Chose Maryland over Ohio State, Florida State, Michigan and Penn State

This article first appeared on Maryland Terrapins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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