By: Justin Walker | WV Sports Chat
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A familiar name to WVU football fans will be suiting up in Marshall green this Saturday as the Herd face off against the Georgia Bulldogs. No, I’m not talking about new Marshall head coach, Tony Gibson. I’m talking about another Tony; Tony Mathis, Jr. You read that correctly. The same Tony Mathis, Jr. that was recruited to WVU by Dana Holgorsen’s staff in 2018. After Holgorsen left WVU in January 2019, Mathis to stayed in Morgantown and played under Neal Brown for four seasons.
The redshirt senior is entering his seventh season of college football. His four years at West Virginia were followed-up by two seasons at Houston, one of which he missed entirely due to injury. After the Mountaineers had a disappointing season in 2022, the Georgia native decided to play for the coach who initially recruited him. So, he transferred to Houston to play for Holgorsen. Mathis appeared in nine games for the Cougars in 2023. He carried the ball only 41 times for 170 yards. Holgorsen was fired after that season, and in came former Tulane coach, Willie Fritz. The 6-foot-1 inch 195-pounder remained with the Cougars, but suffered an ACL injury that cost him his 2024 season.
During his career as a Mountaineer, Mathis carried the ball 229 times for 943 yards (4.1 avg.) and six touchdowns. His best season came in 2022 when he rushed for 562 yards on 135 attempts. He had five of his touchdowns that season. His most notable performance was a Thursday night game against Baylor in 2022. He rushed for 163 yards on 22 attempts with two touchdowns. He helped lead the Mountaineers to a hard fought 43-40 win, which ended on a last second field goal by WVU kicker, Casey Legg.
Now, Mathis is going back to the state where it all began. Though he’s not in the same color jersey, or even at a Power 4 school, he has an opportunity to end his collegiate career on a positive note. The former Big 12 rusher has competition in Huntington, though. He’s currently listed with three other backs as the potential starter this Saturday when The Herd travel to Athens, Georgia to take on the Bulldogs.
Photo Credit: WVU Athletics/Dale Sparks
