Detroit, MI. – At the Xenith Classic Kickoff at Wayne State University, Oak Park High school quarterback D’wan Mathis gets the ball from his center Shelby Givens and rolls to his right. As he is trying to get revenge for an opening season loss in 2017 to Utica Eisenhower, a heavy blitz is unable to be picked up and he feels the pressure. The 6 foot 5 inch Mathis scrambles and under duress throws a perfect pass to his Junior receiver Jesse Brown who brings down the ball despite being heavily covered by two Eagles in the end zone for a 26-yard score and a two-touchdown lead over the Eagles.
Mathis, the dual-threat quarterback who is listed as the 4th ranked player in the state amongst High School athletes by Rivals.com and ranked as the number 2 signal caller in the nation committed to continuing his great career on the field for The Ohio State Buckeyes. He verbally committed to the Buckeyes on June 24th of this year after previously committing to the Michigan State Spartans. Mathis had a lot of interest from colleges all across the country and received offers from over a dozen major schools.
After first verbally committing to play for the Spartans, he made perhaps the toughest decision of his young life when he flipped from MSU to become a Buckeye. Mathis and his family gained permission from the Michigan State staff to visit OSU. The family was blown away by coach Urban Meyer and his staff, and the dual-threat quarterbacks the program has developed over the years: Terrelle Pryor, Braxton Miller, and J.T. Barrett.
“When I went down there and met the coaches, walked on to that field, I just had an indescribable feeling come over me, it was just such an amazing place to be,” Mathis said. “The coaches, the stadium, the city. I can’t explain it, it just felt right. It felt like the place I need to be, it felt like home.”
After committing to MSU in November of 2017 then changing his mind, Mathis clearly states “that it wasn’t MSU did anything wrong.” He still has a great relationship with MSU and their coaches and will cheer for them, except for when they play Ohio State. Ohio State, especially Head Coach Urban Meyer, has a great reputation for developing dual-threat quarterbacks and winning big games and championships. And Mathis wants to win a championship.
When asked if he would ever switch and change his mind and go to Michigan State or any other school Mathis just flashed his big grin and proudly stated, “No sir, I’m 100% committed to Ohio State. I’m a Buckeye!”
