The upcoming season looms large for Maryland head coach Mike Locksley, who is faced with a significant setback after a major loss in training camp. According to Pete Nakos of On3, defensive end Zahir Mathis has suffered a season-ending injury during a practice session on Wednesday. The specific details of Mathis’ injury remain unclear.
Mathis had an impressive freshman year with Maryland in 2025. Standing six-foot-six and weighing 220 pounds, he accumulated 22 tackles, six sacks, and 8.5 tackles for loss. His performance was second only to Sidney Stewart in sacks, with Stewart recording seven during his own freshman season.
Maryland has been focused on retaining players like Mathis this offseason amid uncertainties surrounding Locksley’s future. Locksley possesses a record of 37-49 over his eight seasons with the program. The team concluded its previous two seasons with a 4-8 record, securing only two wins in Big Ten matchups.
Maryland athletic director Jim Smith conveyed to ESPN in November that the emphasis would be on roster retention and recruiting to assist the head coach. Mathis, along with Stewart and quarterback Malik Washington, were pivotal freshman players last season, showcasing promising starts to their college careers with the Terrapins.
We are working to strengthen our NIL support for 2026 and beyond and have already seen success for next year,” Smith stated. “We are prioritizing roster retention, recruiting and competing in the transfer portal… We are optimistic about the young talent in our program and where we are in recruiting.”
The absence of Mathis means Maryland will depend on Stewart for a standout sophomore season. They will also look to sophomore defensive end Nahsir Taylor and redshirt sophomore DD Holmes for assistance in pressuring the quarterback. Maryland’s season opener is against Hampton at home on September 5. Following this, the Terrapins will finish their non-conference schedule by visiting UConn on September 12 and hosting Virginia Tech on September 19.
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