Oct 1, 2022; Austin, Texas, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers running back Tony Mathis Jr. (24) runs the ball against the Texas Longhorns at Royal Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman via USA TODAY NETWORK

Houston Cougars football gets commitment from former West Virginia running back Tony Mathis Jr.

Clovis Shropshire
May 15, 2023
0
3 minutes read

Former West Virginia running back Tony Mathis Jr. announced on social media he has committed to the Houston Cougars football team on Monday afternoon.

U couldn't even imagine, i ran it up the fastest.. To the fact we used to be poor, it don't matter. #COMMITTED #110% #LongliveGranny 🩸🩸 pic.twitter.com/eR51wgUf46
— Tony Mathis jr (@_tmathiss24) May 15, 2023

The Orlando, Florida native joins the Cougars with two years of eligibility. While he played in four games as a true freshman in 2019, Mathis redshirted the rest of the season to preserve that year of eligibility. He was also granted an additional year of eligibility in 2020 by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mathis rushed for 312 yards in nine games during the 2021 season. He rushed for 562 yards and scored five touchdowns in 10 games during the 2022 year.

Mathis’ best game in the 2022 campaign came on Oct. 13 when he rushed for 163 yards and scored two touchdowns as West Virginia toppled Baylor, 43-40.

Nov 19, 2022; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers running back Tony Mathis Jr. (24) and Kansas State Wildcats safety Josh Hayes (1) during the first quarter at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

Mathis joins a running back group at Houston that lost Alton McCaskill in the transfer portal but is bringing back both Brandon Campbell and Stacy Sneed, who played key roles for the Cougars during the 2022 season.

UH also returns Kelan Walker. The group also includes Maurice Reed and Sherman Smith. The Cougars are also adding freshmen Parker Jenkins and Re’Shaun Sanford.