In Penn State recruiting news, one of PA’s best players is projected to commit to Maryland.
Per Steve Wiltfong of On3Sports, Maryland is now the favorite for Zahir Mathis, a four-star in-state Class of 2025 EDGE from Philly’s famous Imhotep Charter.
On3’s @SWiltfong_ has logged an expert prediction for Maryland to land 4-star EDGE Zahir Mathis🐢
Mathis is one of the top remaining recruits in the 2025 class.
Intel: https://t.co/QAQhVBwNFf pic.twitter.com/s0ZGs8pxc8
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) February 3, 2025
The 6-foot-6, 230-pounder is the No. 4 overall player in Pennsylvania per On3, along with the No. 16 EDGE in the country and the 170th overall player in America from his Class.
Most players from Mathis’ class have already signed with their schools and some are already on-campus taking college classes.
Mathis’ case is different.
SCRAPPED PLANS
Initially, Mathis planned to play for Ryan Day and Ohio State. He committed to OSU in January 2024 and stayed committed for more than nine months. Then, in November, he de-committed, which immediately made some Penn State fans smile.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Penn State Recruiting: One of PA’s Top Players De-Commits From Ohio State
PSU fans love it any time a big-time recruit de-commits from Ohio State but especially so this time since Mathis is a player Penn State wanted. The chances right now don’t look great that Penn State will get him. Along with Wiltfong’s prediction at On3, over at 247Sports, three schools are listed as “warm” for Mathis, and Penn State isn’t one of them. The three schools listed as front runners are Maryland, Florida State and another Big Ten school, UCLA.
But if Mathis does pick Maryland, history shows that he could leave.
PENN STATE LOOKING TO POACH MARYLAND COMMIT
Photo by Zion Elee’s Twitter account: Zion Elee
Despite going 4-8 last season, Maryland is still getting recruiting wins, with Zion Elee being one of them. Penn State is working on flipping the five-star EDGE who is currently committed to Maryland. Elee is the No. 3 overall player in the Class of 2026 per On3, and coach James Franklin visited him last week. Even if Elee ends up signing with Maryland, his player comp on 247Sports is Chop Robinson, another touted recruit who ended up leaving Maryland for Penn State after a season.
The second and final signing period of the 2025 recruiting cycle ends Wednesday, Feb. 5.
