Maryland football dealt blow, Zahir Mathis sidelined in 2026

Aug 12

2 min read

Maryland football will now have to overcome a major preseason injury through just one week of fall camp.

Sophomore edge rusher Zahir Mathis suffered a lower leg injury and is expected to be sidelined for the duration of the 2026 season, dealing a major blow at a position of need.

Maryland kicked off fall camp last Wednesday, Aug. 5, with Mathis marking the second big blow for the defense after previously dismissing starting cornerback Dontay Joyner. With Mathis now sidelined, Maryland will now turn to five-star Zion Elee opposite of sophomore Sidney Stewart in a rotation that features DD Holmes and Nahsir Taylor, thinning out what was viewed to be a clear strength on the team.

Mathis, who was also a Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award semifinalist, finished his freshman season second on the team with 6.0 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss. The Philadelphia, PA native recorded at least a partial sack in seven of the 11 games he played. Despite missing nearly two full games due to injury, Mathis still ranked 11th in the conference in total sacks. He finished second among all Power Four true freshmen with 31 total pressures according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).

“I can remember Malik calling me once he got down in the Under Armour game, and at one point Malik wasn't going to play in the Under Armor game, he was maybe going to play in the other one. And then when he decided to play in that game, it all kind of came to fruition because of a relationship that those two had,” head coach Mike Locksley said in the spring. “Malik called me and said, ‘coach, man, we may have a shot at this, at Zahir. And I'm like, let's do it. And next thing I know, it sped up. And, you know, I got up to Philly, chance to see him, and we really hit it off. And I think obviously the relationship with Malik, a lot of the players on this team having played with him, with the Maryland Heat youth program here locally. He would travel down from Philadelphia, to play with this group and it all worked out in our favor.”

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