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Senior Primer: Ohio State EDGE commit Zahir Mathis

By Matt Parker,

5 hours ago

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The high school football season is right around the corner and to build up the anticipation, Lettermen Row is going to roll out a primer for every Ohio State commit. There are 24 pledges to the Buckeyes’ 2025 class and we will discuss things we want to see from the commits, and one big game for the pledge. This is story No. 11 .

COLUMBUS — When Zahir Mathis committed to Ohio State in January, it seemed unexpectedly expected. It was out of the blue, but then predictions quickly rolled — including from yours truly. He’s been committed to Ohio State for 200 days now, but it’s been some rocky seas lately.

Mathis, the four-star Philadelphia (Pa) Imhotep Institute EDGE, has visited Penn State more than once throughout his commitment to the Buckeyes. He took an official visit to Happy Valley at the end of June and was back at the end of July. The No. 62 overall prospect and No. 7 EDGE in the On3 Industry Rankings will take an official visit to Ohio State in the fall.

While some things are still fluid in his recruitment, what’s pretty set in stone is his upcoming senior season. Lettermen Row lists out a few things we’re eager to see from Mathis and we call out one big game on his schedule.

Things to Watch

Recent photos of Zahir Mathis highlight that he’s tackling his weight seriously. He looks noticeably bigger and continues to fill out of his frame. Mathis is listed at 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he was around 235 pounds. Adding weight during the season is one of the most difficult things any prospect can do. Truthfully, it’s going to take an addition into a college football strength program for that big jump to happen.

For some things on the field, however. How much more dominant can he be in his senior season? Imhotep doesn’t exactly play the toughest schedule in the Philadelphia area. In four conference games, the defense pitched four shutouts. Mathis was challenged a couple of times throughout his junior season. Non-conference games, but even then, they were still two possession games.

A good player playing against bad competition is going to make someone look elite.

One Big Game

It took some serious digging, but we did find one game of interest on the schedule. Imhotep and Mathis host Brooklyn (N.Y.) South Shore on Aug. 31. South Shore went 11-0-1 (yes a tie in football) last fall and should provide Mathis with a good challenge.