Maryland has suffered a major loss to its defense before Week 1 even started, as sophomore DE Zahir Mathis will miss the entire season after suffering an injury during practice, a Maryland spokesperson confirmed.
After a stellar true freshman season, Zahir was expected to enter Year 2 as a major defensive leader for the Terps.
The former 4-star recruit recorded 31 pressures, 22 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and 6 sacks across 11 games last season, earning Freshman All-American recognition and Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors.
5-Star Freshman Zion Elee Has Big Shoes To Fill
With the absence of Mathis, look for 5-star freshman DE Zion Elee to get a massive opportunity early on.
Elee is the No. 1 EDGE in the 2026 recruiting class and was No. 5 nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite.
The Baltimore native was already expected to contribute as a freshman, but with Mathis done for the season, he’ll see an even larger workload immediately.
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