Rashean Mathis

Rashean Jamil Mathis (born August 27, 1980) is a former American professional football cornerback who spent most of his NFL career with the Jacksonville Jaguars and later played for the Detroit Lions. He played college football at Bethune–Cookman University and was taken by the Jaguars in the second round of the 2003 NFL draft. He is widely considered one of the best defensive players in Jaguars history.

Mathis grew up in Jacksonville and attended Englewood High School, where he became a highly recruited prospect in Florida after his junior year, drawing scholarship offers from major programs like Florida and Florida State. During the seventh game of his senior season, while returning a kick, his cleat got stuck in the turf as he tried to cut. He suffered a broken leg after his ankle dislocated. According to Mathis, all of his major scholarship offers were immediately withdrawn, including Florida State’s. Florida State still wanted him as a walk-on, but he instead accepted a full scholarship from Division II Bethune-Cookman University. Central Florida Community College and Indian River Community College also offered him scholarships to play center field.

At Bethune-Cookman, Mathis fully recovered from his broken leg by his freshman year in 1999 and immediately played cornerback and returned punts and kicks. He earned the nickname "Show-time" after replacing teammate Antonio Stanley as punt returner and scoring a touchdown on his first collegiate punt return. That season, he recorded two interceptions and nine pass deflections. As a sophomore, he moved from cornerback to starting free safety.

In his senior year, Mathis helped lead the Wildcats to an 11–2 record under head coach Alvin Wyatt, and on November 23, 2002, they beat Florida A&M 37–10 in the Florida Classic to win the MEAC Conference Championship for the first time since 1988. He finished his college career with 14 interceptions as a senior in 2002, breaking the NCAA Division I-AA single-season record for interceptions and interception return yards (667 yards). He became the first defensive back to win the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the top defensive player in NCAA FCS Division I-AA.

He was a three-time Division I-AA All-America and holds the career interceptions record for all Division I football divisions, with 31. He also totaled 200 combined tackles, 41 pass deflections, three fumble recoveries, and three forced fumbles.

After his standout senior season, Mathis was considered one of the top safety prospects in the 2003 NFL Draft. Because he came from a smaller program, some teams questioned whether he could adapt quickly to the pro level. He performed well at the NFL Scouting Combine, especially in the 40-yard dash. Although he had played cornerback early in college, many analysts and teams believed he could play cornerback in the NFL. Most scouts projected him as a second-round pick, with a few thinking he could go late in the first round. DraftScout.com ranked him as the top free safety prospect, NFL analyst Mike Mayock ranked him as the second-best safety, Sporting News ranked him as the seventh-best cornerback, and ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. ranked him as the third-best safety.

The Jacksonville Jaguars selected Mathis in the second round (39th overall) of the 2003 NFL draft. He was the second safety taken that year and the 28th player drafted from Bethune-Cookman since 1967, the first since Antwuan Wyatt in 1997. He became the third-highest draft pick from Bethune-Cookman, after Booker Reese (1982) and Terry Williams (1988). On July 24, 2003, he signed a four-year, $3.17 million rookie contract with a $1.80 million signing bonus.

During spring mini-camp, Mathis played cornerback, but moved back to free safety when training camp began. He competed with veteran Marlon McCree for the starting free safety job under new defensive coordinator Mike Smith. Head coach Jack Del Rio named Mathis and Donovan Darius the starting safeties to open the season. In his NFL debut on September 7, 2003, Mathis started against the Carolina Panthers, making two combined tackles, a pass deflection, and his first career interception off a pass from Jake Delhomme intended for Steve Smith Sr., though the Jaguars lost 24–23.

On September 16, 2003, the Jaguars released McCree after Mathis played well in the first two games. On October 12, 2003, Mathis replaced starting cornerback Jason Craft in the second quarter after Craft injured his knee in a 10–24 loss to the Miami Dolphins. In Week 8, Mathis earned his first...