Zahir Mathis

Zahir Mathis
Maryland Terrapins – No. 9
Position	Defensive end
Class	Freshman
Personal information
Height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight	220 lb (100 kg)
Career history
College	Maryland (2025–present)
High school	Imhotep Institute; (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Zahir Mathis is an American football defensive end for the Maryland Terrapins.

Early life

Mathis is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[1] He is a Muslim.^[2] At age 14, his mother died from cancer, and he afterwards was raised by his grandmother.^[3] Mathis attended Imhotep Institute Charter High School where he played football as a defensive end.^[2] As a senior, he posted 30 tackles and three sacks, helping Imhotep to a record of 10–2.^[4]

Mathis was invited to the 2025 Under Armour All-America Game.^[5] He was highly recruited and received his first offer to play college football in 2021.^[6] A consensus four-star recruit, he was ranked by ESPN as the 60th-best player nationally, the top player in the state, and the fifth-best defensive end.^[7]^[1] Mathis initially committed to play for the Ohio State Buckeyes, before withdrawing his commitment in November 2024.^[8] He later committed to play for the Maryland Terrapins in February 2025.^[7]