D’wan Mathis is an intriguing player with legitimate experience playing quarterback, and wide receiver in college. However, Mathis has made it known that, after spending time on the depth chart behind other players in college and the pro ranks, he just wants to play, which is precisely why he lands in Montgomery just weeks after being announced by the Arkansas Diamonds of the IFL.
D’wan Mathis was signed by Arkansas as a multi-position player, with the expectation being that he would be the top backup to Sam Castronova at quarterback, while adding depth at other positions such as wide receiver, kick returner, and potentially even defensive back in a pinch. This is a typical move in indoor football where teams try to sneak added depth on the roster by utilizing every position that they can for depth wherever possible; offensive or defensive linemen playing both ways, wide receivers or defensive backs playing both sides of the ball, running backs who can line up at wide receiver, etc.
D’wan Mathis is essentially a “create-a-player” type athlete. We have all been there, playing Madden and you create a player with elite attributes or traits that normally don’t apply to their position group. In this case imagine Mathis as a 6’4, 205-pound quarterback with 80+ ratings in speed, catch, agility, or a wide receiver with 80+ ratings for arm strength and accuracy. He is the rare type of player who can step in and compete for a starting job at two positions.
High School and College Career
Let’s get something straight out of the gate: D’wan Mathis is an athletic quarterback, not an athlete that got placed at quarterback. Mathis came out of Oak Park High School in Michigan ranked as one of the top prospects in his state regardless of position, earning a consensus 4-star rating. Ultimately he would commit to the University of Georgia to play quarterback. This in itself proves the kind of talent Mathis had, and the way he was regarded as a quarterback.
While he did not see much playing time during his two seasons at Georgia, he did start the 2020 season opener defeating Arkansas of all teams. By the time he left Georgia, he was still playing quarterback, but had just 80 live snaps. When he transferred to Temple it was to compete for the starting job with the Owls.
Due to COVID, D’wan Mathis entered the 2021 season as a redshirt freshman. This meant that he still had most of his eligibility to make his next stop his best stop. Upon his arrival at Temple, he was quickly thrust into the starting role at quarterback. In week 1 it was D’wan Mathis who led his new team on the field. Unfortunately, shortly after scoring his first touchdown with the Owls, he left the game due to an injury that would cause him to miss several games.
He returned to the starting lineup late in the season, only to ultimately re-aggravate his injury and get shut down for the remainder of the year. A tough break for the former 4-star recruit now headed into his 4th year of college with 446 snaps in 11 games on his resume.
Mid-Season Position Change
By all accounts, D’wan Mathis returned ready to reclaim his starting job at quarterback. The only issue is, E.J. Warner son of former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Kurt Warner was now the QB2 in 2022. Temple liked what Warner brought to the table. They felt that Mathis was too talented to sit on the bench without being utilized somewhere. This prompted a move to wide receiver following week two.
D’wan Mathis to his credit, took the chance and ran with it. After three seasons as a quarterback in college, and 2 weeks into 2022 Mathis moved to a position he had never really played before. By the time the season was over, D’wan Mathis had thrown 30 passes, run 12 times, and caught 6 of 10 targets. Playing a total of 65 snaps at quarterback and 66 at receiver.
In 2023 D’wan Mathis looked to settle in as a wide receiver for Temple. That would ultimately prove difficult as he would be given just 23 snaps in 3 games. He caught 2 of 4 targets for 12 yards. Finally, Mathis would transfer one final time, and it was to play quarterback for Davenport.
This time Davenport allowed Mathis to focus on playing quarterback, but that did not mean he would br the undisputed QB1. In fact, three different players took snaps at quarterback for Davenport on their way to a 7-4 record in 2024. Mathis played fairly well completing just under 60% of his passes for 580 yards, added 112 rushing yards, 4 total touchdowns to two interceptions.
D’wan Mathis would return for one final season in 2025 to close out his college career. This would ultimately be his seventh season of collegiate football due to the way everything played out for him. By the time Mathis graduated from college, he had played in a total of 38 games, 23 at quarterback and 15 as a wide receiver. This culminated in:
282 completions
487 attempts
3,347 yards
19 touchdowns
14 interceptions
194 carries
499 yards
4 touchdown
8 receptions
56 yards
1 punt
36 yards
1 tackle
Professional Career Begins
After his collegiate career, Mathis would end up signing with the Tucson Sugar Skulls of the Indoor Football League. Playing in 4 games Mathis focused primarily on quarterback. In the 4 games Mathis saw the field for the Sugar Skulls, they were 2-2, including a 4-point loss in which their kicker missed two field goals, while Mathis accounted for 3 touchdowns himself. By the end of the year, Mathis had amassed:
Not bad for his first professional opportunity; however, he is looking for more in 2027. Initially signing with the Arkansas Diamonds, now of the Indoor Football League, Mathis has ultimately decided to take his talents to Montgomery in hopes that he will be given a more direct path to a starting position somewhere on the roster.
While Mathis certainly has never shied away from competition during his career this was a smart move. He knows given his background he needs to start to move up to the next level, and with his size, athletic profile, and versatility, he has a real opportunity to make that move with the right performance.
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