He was a very talented player from Neville High School in Louisiana, so it was only a matter of time for Phidarian Mathis to emerge at the University of Alabama.
As a four-star prospect, he came in the 2017 recruiting class with Dylan Moses, LaBryan Ray, Najee Harris, Tua Tagovailoa, Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III, DeVonta Smith, Alex Leatherwood and Jedrick Wills. Mathis decided to redshirt his freshman year and took notes, as he watched his teammates secure a College Football Playoff National Championship.
He played in 27 games through the next two seasons, totaling 45 career tackles.
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The 6-foot-4, 312-pounder will see much playing time this year and after graduating many defensive linemen to the National Football League, Mathis is next up to lead.
Despite he and Ray returning as redshirt juniors, the bulk of the group is young talent that has to learn how to be great. Alabama is having its second scrimmage at Bryant-Denny Stadium this weekend and for Mathis, the defensive line must dominate — especially after the unit struggled to pressure opposing offenses last season.
“This scrimmage is very important,” Mathis said on Thursday to local reporters. “We have a lot to learn, especially with the young guys on the defensive line. We have to come together and form as a team. We have to take this and roll with it.”
Christian Barmore is one of the young guys that coaches want to see become a leader.
In limited action a season ago, the Philadelphia (Pa.) native recorded 26 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks, five quarterback hurries and two pass breakups in 12 games. He is still maturing as a player, but Mathis said he has seen growth from Barmore in the two years he’s been around him.
“He (Barmore) has been a good leader as of now,” Mathis said.
Ray, a former five-star, played in three games last year, until a foot injury ended his season. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 295 pounds, he has performed very well throughout fall camp. Having him back healthy is a major boost for the Tide.
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“He (LaBryan Ray) is one of the leaders in the room,” Mathis said. “We need him right now. For him to come back, he is going to be a big help for us.”
Along with Mathis and Ray, Joshua McMillon has been a steady presence on defense.
Regardless of him missing last season (knee), he returns for a sixth year with the team and is looking forward to producing huge numbers.
When he was not encouraging teammates on the field, McMillon was finishing up his degree in engineering in the classroom. While he is excited to play football, Mathis spoke on the former four-star’s toughness and what he provides.
“He’s a strong cat to come back the way he’s doing,” Mathis said of McMillon. “We need that in the backfield to make those calls and get the D-Line ready up front. All I can say is that we are really going to need him this year.”
With the influence of Freddie Roach at defensive line coach, Mathis said the biggest thing he has trained on individually is to be better at pushing the pocket.
“I have been training on my pass rush and being more aggressive,” he said.
Alabama totaled 32 sacks in 2019, with 7.5 coming from the defensive line.
This is a big drop from its stats in 2015 (52 sacks) and 2016 (54 sacks), as the front group had 22 sacks and 19.5 sacks respectively. Mathis sees improvement for this fall and Tide fans are ready for it.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
