Four-star defensive end Zahir Mathis, the last uncommitted top-100 prospect in the 2025 recruiting class, announced his pledge to Maryland and signed with the program Wednesday afternoon.
Mathis, a 6-foot-6 edge rusher from Philadelphia, is ESPN's No. 60 overall recruit and the fifth-ranked defensive end in the cycle. He initially committed to Ohio State early last year before pulling his pledge from the Buckeyes and reopening his recruitment in November.
Michigan, Penn State, Virginia Tech and UCLA were among the schools involved in the chase for Mathis' signature over the past month, and he ultimately picked the Terrapins after narrowing his recruitment down to Florida State and Maryland before Wednesday's national signing day.
Mathis is now the top-ranked member in the historic 2025 recruiting class the Terrapins and coach Mike Locksley are set to close this week.
With Mathis' pledge, Maryland's count of seven ESPN 300 players this cycle marks the program's highest tally in the ESPN recruiting rankings era (dating to 2006). Four-star quarterback Malik Washington (No. 134 in the 2025 ESPN 300) leads a group of 14 in-state prospects joining the Terrapins in 2025 as part of an incoming class that also includes offensive tackle Jaylen Gilchrist (No. 121), former Alabama running back pledge Zymear Smith (No. 214) and top-300 defenders Bryce Jenkins (No. 157) and Messiah Delhomme (No. 231).
Mathis, who played high school football at Philadelphia's Imhotep Institute Charter High School, spent nearly 11 months in Ohio State's star-studded 2025 recruiting class before decommitting from the program weeks before the early signing period opened Dec. 4.
"There's no hard feelings with Ohio State," he told ESPN of the decision last month. "I just didn't feel like it was the right space for me. I still love them to death. They're still one of my options, but I had to do the right thing for me."
After appearing in the 2025 Under Armour All-America game Jan. 2, Mathis took visits to Florida State (Jan. 10) and Maryland (Jan. 31) and canceled a scheduled trip to Michigan before announcing his pledge. His commitment delivers a late boost to a Terrapins class that began Wednesday at No. 26 in ESPN's class rankings, their highest ranking since turning in the nation's No. 18 class in the 2021 cycle.
Despite a 4-8 finish in 2025, Locksley & Co. already have momentum in the 2026 cycle too, bolstered by the December pledge of five-star defensive end Zion Elee.
ESPN's No. 1 defender and No. 8 overall prospect in the upcoming class, Elee told ESPN this month that he remains locked in with Maryland despite a recent visit to Auburn and heavy interest from Alabama, Oregon, USC, Penn State and South Carolina, among others. His pledge remains a critical piece for the Terrapins as they target several other top prospects in the 2026 class, including five-star in-state offensive tackle Immanuel Iheanacho (No. 7 in the ESPN Junior 300).
Mathis was one of two top-100 prospects who were uncommitted entering national signing day, alongside five-star offensive tackle Ty Haywood (No. 16 in the ESPN 300), the former Alabama pledge who signed with Michigan over Florida State and Texas Tech on Wednesday morning.