Zahir Mathis

Sophomore defensive lineman for Maryland. 2025: 6 sacks, 8.5 tackles for loss, 35 tackles.

DL · Maryland · So. · #9

6′6″ · 222 lb · Philadelphia, PA · Imhotep Institute

CFB Index 54 · #187 of 420 edge rushersLow confidenceReturning to Maryland for 2026

via umterps.com ↗

Next upSat Sep 19 · 7:30 pm ETvs Virginia TechSECU StadiumVirginia Tech by 3

The numbers

sacks · 2025

8.5 TFL · 35 tackles · 3 hurries

Best game: 1 sacks, 1 TFL, 4 tackles, vs Washington

His career numbers, season by season

The story

2 defensive lineman for Maryland. 2025: 6 sacks, 8.5 tackles for loss, 35 tackles.

Signed as a 4-star recruit to Maryland in 2025.
Maryland DE Zahir Mathis out for season (Aug 13) Reported

His career, year by year

How he plays

Disrupts the pocket from the interior.

Sacks: 97th percentile.

The full scouting read

Zahir Mathis

DL · Maryland · So · #9

Disrupts the pocket from the interior. The receipt on tape: 7 tackles, 1 TFL against Wisconsin, Week 4, 2025.

Low coverage — composed from the verified record.

positional archetype classification
game log

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2025Maryland4-8HC: Mike Locksley · Pass-leaning

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

54Rotational starter #187 of 420?

Medium confidence6 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: sacks (97th percentile). Strength: tackles for loss (94th percentile).

Box-score production (6)

Sacks#74 / 2975 · 97th pct

6.0

Tackles for loss#175 / 2975 · 94th pct

8.5

QB hurries#457 / 2975 · 82nd pct

Solo tackles#902 / 2975 · 69th pct

Tackles#1098 / 2975 · 62nd pct

Passes defended#1191 / 2975 · 48th pct

Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2025 season · 9 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home6g	3.5	1.1	0.8	0.2
Road3g	4.7	0.7	0.3	0.0

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-76g	3.8	1.0	0.8	0.2
Weeks 8+3g	4.0	0.8	0.5	0.0

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Mike Locksley

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2025

Part-time starter

Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

54 · #187 of 420 edge rushers

Former four-star. Now #187 at the position.

2026 outlook

Outside shot for All-Big Ten

Based on 2025: #32 of 69 Big Ten DLs

How the All-Big Ten estimate is computed

15% estimated, 95% confidence interval 13–17%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.

Career stats

Season	Team
2025	Maryland	35	22	8.5	6.0	1	--	--
Career		35	22	8.5	6.0	1	--	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2025

W 44–17

vs Towson

3 TOT · 2 SOLO · 1 SACKS

Dominant 27-point win at home against Towson.

With M. Washington — 261 yds · 1 TD · 1 INT · QBR 94.8 · 29 rush yds (3 car) · 1 TD · B. McFerson — 48 AVG · 1 IN 20 · 52 LONG

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 9 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	SACK	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	W 39-7vs Florida Atlantic	1	0	0.5	0.5	—	0
Wk 2	W 20-9vs Northern Illinois	4	2	1.5	1.0	—	0
Wk 3	W 44-17vs Towson	3	2	1.0	1.0	—	0
Wk 4	W 27-10@ Wisconsin	7	6	1.0	0.0	—	0	Season-high 7 tackles
Wk 6	L 20-24vs Washington	4	3	1.0	1.0	—	0
Wk 7	L 31-34vs Nebraska	4	4	1.0	1.0	—	1
Wk 11	L 20-35@ Rutgers	5	0	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 12	L 6-24@ Illinois	2	1	1.0	1.0	—	0
Wk 13	L 20-45vs Michigan	5	4	1.5	0.5	—	0
Total		35	22	8.5	6.0	—	1

How he plays

Play style

Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.

CFB Index positional classification

Activity vs finishing · season enumeration

What the box score actually says

9 games

35Tackles

22Solo

8.5TFL

6Sacks

1Pass def.

0INT

35 tackles. 1 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 8.5 TFL.

Week 10.5 sacks
Week 21 sack
Week 31 sack
Week 61 sack
Week 71 sack · 1 PD
Week 121 sack
Week 130.5 sacks

Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.

2026 Outlook

Maryland

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Defensive line · Maryland

Returning around him

1 Maryland player drafted to NFL
Transfer portal: -2 net (14 in / 16 out)

2026 Award watch

No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)

Maryland · Last season: 4-8 · Talent rank #46 · 2026 recruiting class #43

DNA match

Player DNA

3-Tech Penetrator

Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.

IDL

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Elijah Baldwin’s 2025 season.

Elijah Baldwin

74%match

UTEP · 2025

Karter Menz

Minnesota · 2025

62%

Jalil Lecky

San Diego State · 2021

60%

Eyabi Anoma

Michigan · 2022

59%

Lesterlaisene Lagafuaina

Hawai'i · 2024

58%

Matches Elijah on

TFL rate

Weight

Sack rate

Differs from Elijah on

Hurry rate (lower)

Height (lower)

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a freshman, his production profile tracks closest to Josh Roberts's freshman season at Florida Atlantic (2025).

Josh Roberts

76%match

Florida Atlantic · 2025

Ira Singleton

South Florida · 2024

68%

Karter Menz

Minnesota · 2025

66%

Shykieim Pace

Florida International · 2021

62%

Ronn Hardin

Eastern Michigan · 2025

59%

Matches Josh on

Weight

Hurry rate

TFL rate

Differs from Josh on

Height (higher)

Sack rate (higher)

Player DNA

Players who play like Zahir Mathis

Elijah Baldwin

UTEP · 2025

74%

Background

CAREER HONORS: 247Sports True Freshman All-American On3 True Freshman All-American 2025 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten 2025 Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Semifinalist As a Freshman (2025): Ranked second on the team with 6.0 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss. Recorded at least a partial sack in...

via umterps.com ↗

The defensive line · Maryland

#11Sidney StewartDL · So.10.5 tackles for loss · 2025
#9Zahir MathisDL · So.8.5 tackles for loss · 2025
#98Eyan ThomasDL · Jr.3 tackles for loss · 2025
#40Nahsir TaylorDL · So.3 tackles for loss · 2025
#88Derrick LeBlancDL · Jr.2.5 tackles for loss · 2025

13 more on the roster · Maryland team page

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

20259 games

2025 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

Part-time starter

Career stats

Signature game

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

3-Tech Penetrator

Players who play like Zahir Mathis

Background

The defensive line · Maryland