With Early National Signing Day well in the rear-view mirror, Zahir Mathis remains the top-ranked uncommitted Class of 2025 player in the country and Penn State’s lone remaining recruiting target. The four-star edge rusher from Imhotep Institute in Philadelphia was viewed as a prime flip candidate for the Nittany Lions when he de-committed from Ohio State back in November, but he’s yet to make his decision, and now he’s visiting another Big Ten rival.
Once the recruiting dead period ends, Mathis reportedly has visits lined up to Florida State, UCLA, and crucial, Michigan. The Wolverines have made a significant push for the 6-foot-6 pass rusher behind defensive line coach Lou Esposito and could be in prime position to snatch a commitment away from both Penn State and Ohio State, though neither school may still be in the running.
With a 27-player freshman class already locked up, Penn State may not have the room on the roster to accommodate Mathis, though if a top 100 player by 247Sports composite rankings is interested, then almost any program in the country would find a way to make room. The bigger problem is that Mathis may not be interested anymore. Penn State landed commitments from two edge rushers in the 2025 class, Cortez Harris, and Chaz Coleman, who Franklin and defensive line coach Deion Barnes seemingly pivoted to after it was clear that Mathis was deferring his decision into January.
Now that Mathis has reset his recruiting process, his decision may come down to the three schools that he intends to visit next month, not the previous group of contenders.
Despite a down season in his first year at the helm, Sherrone Moore appears to be picking up where Jim Harbaugh left off and potentially improving the caliber of recruit that Michigan is after. Moore’s 2025 class is No. 9 in the country and features the No. 1 overall player, Bryce Underwood, and consensus five-star offensive tackle Andrew Babalola.
Penn State and Michigan have gone head-to-head over a few recruits in the 2025 cycle, though that may not be the case with Mathis, and so far they’ve largely dueled to a draw with the Nittany Lions flipping Andrew Olesh on signing day and Michigan top Penn State target Kainoa Winston early in the process.
Michigan is poised to remain a powerhouse program under Moore and adding Mathis to a talented 22-player class would be a continuation of that trend.