Zahir Mathis was supposed to spend this fall chasing quarterbacks alongside Sidney Stewart and helping five-star freshman Zion Elee adjust to college football.
Instead, he’ll spend it watching from the sideline.
Mathis, a freshman All-American and one of Maryland football’s best young defenders, is expected to miss the entire 2026 season after suffering an unspecified injury during preseason camp. His absence costs the Terps more than just the six sacks from a year ago. It accelerates the timeline of the highest-ranked recruit in program history and could eventually complicate Mathis’ own future in College Park.
And Maryland’s defense was already adjusting to one major loss.
Coach Michael Locksley announced last week that cornerback Dontay Joyner, an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection last season, would not return to the program following an offseason arrest.
Joyner pleaded guilty this summer to telephone misuse following his June arrest. A charge of electronic communication harassment was dropped. According to court documents obtained by The Baltimore Sun, Joyner threatened over text to shoot his then-girlfriend.
Locksley said last week that he and Joyner mutually decided the cornerback needed a fresh start and that Maryland was helping him find another program.
Before Maryland has played a snap, two players it expected to build its defense around are gone.
The Terps still have established pieces. Linebacker Daniel Wingate topped 100 tackles last season, while safety Lavain Scruggs returns as a full-time starter. But Maryland believed one of the strengths of this defense was that it finally had enough talent behind its stars to withstand injuries and attrition.
Now it gets to find out.
Locksley specifically pointed to the outside linebacker position at media day when explaining why he believed Maryland was better equipped than it had been a year ago.
Mathis and Stewart were proven sophomores. DD Holmes and Nahsir Taylor provided depth. Then there was Elee.
“We didn’t have depth like that last year,” Locksley said.
Mathis understood the difference. He and Stewart both grappled with lower-leg injuries last season, exposing Maryland’s lack of comparable options behind them.
“The depth is phenomenal,” Mathis said last week. “We’ve got a lot more players.”
Nobody’s role changes more now than Elee’s.
Defensive coordinator Ted Monachino entered camp trying to determine how Mathis, Stewart and Elee could coexist. Mathis and Stewart were further along after being thrust into significant roles as freshmen. Maryland could afford to be patient with Elee.
“Physically, he’s already there,” Stewart said. “Mentally, that’s the only thing — we just bring him along mentally.”
That patience is suddenly harder to afford.
Elee, a Baltimore native who starred at St. Frances Academy, arrived as the highest-ranked recruit in Maryland history, according to 247Sports. Rather than immediately carrying all the expectations attached to that distinction, he had the rare luxury of learning behind two accomplished sophomores.
Monachino planned to identify what Elee could already handle and let him play fast.
“Try to take as many rocks out of his pocket as we can, so he can play fast, and so he can impact games and impact plays as often as possible,” Monachino said.
Mathis was supposed to help make that transition easier. He talked at media day about taking Elee under his wing, whether that meant joking with him, giving him a call or spending extra time together in the facility.
Instead, Elee could spend his freshman season receiving many of the opportunities that otherwise would have belonged to Mathis.
Maybe Elee looks like a freshman. Maybe he looks every bit like the five-star prospect Maryland fought to keep home.
If it is the latter, Mathis could return in 2027 to a position room that looks dramatically different from the one he left.
Elee could already be established as one of Maryland’s best defenders. Stewart could still be there, too. What once looked like an ideal three-player rotation could instead leave three starting-caliber edge rushers competing for snaps.
There is another uncertainty Maryland cannot control.
Locksley enters this season after consecutive 4-8 finishes. Another poor year would intensify questions about the program’s direction. By the time Mathis is ready to play again, the roster around him — and potentially the coaching situation — could look different.
None of that means Mathis will transfer. None of it guarantees Elee becomes a star. There are at least 12 games between now and then, far too much football to assume either outcome.
But Mathis’ absence could end up mattering just as much in 2027 as it does this fall.
Maryland has a more immediate reshuffling to handle at cornerback.
Joyner was one of the Terps’ most accomplished returning defensive backs. He earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors last season, led Maryland with eight pass breakups and intercepted two passes, including one he returned 67 yards for a touchdown against Nebraska.
Related Articles
- Maryland football star edge rusher to miss 2026 season with injury
- Behind Spalding star, Maryland football’s recruiting class moves into ESPN top 40
- Maryland football pins hopes on improved offensive line: ‘Extremely critical’
- Maryland women’s soccer player ‘doing better’ after injury Saturday at Temple
- Maryland football’s offensive coordinator wants to use ‘every blade of grass’
Without him, Jamare Glasker returns as an experienced option, while Boston College transfer Amari Jackson and returner Ricardo Cooper Jr. are among those competing for larger roles.
Monachino said one of Maryland’s priorities during camp is settling on its two outside cornerbacks and nickel, a personnel grouping he expects the Terps to use on roughly 70% of their defensive snaps.
Locksley did not minimize Joyner’s departure.
“Huge loss for us, man,” he said last week. “Dontay Joyner is a big-time football player. You don’t just replace some of the production that he had a year ago.”
One of Maryland’s best returning cornerbacks is gone. One of its best pass rushers will not play this season. The most heralded recruit in program history might have to take on a significant role earlier than planned.
That is an uncomfortable place for a team that spent last season relying heavily on inexperienced players. Locksley has repeatedly argued that those growing pains became lessons and that a more seasoned roster would reap the benefits this fall.
Maryland still has that experience. Also, the long-awaited depth. Now it needs it.
Have a news tip? Contact Michael Howes at mhowes@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/Mikephowes.