D’Wan Mathis takes big stage for UGA. He’s doing it after a miraculous comeback

What qualities do you look for in a starting quarterback?

New Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken fielded that question from reporters in late August. Among the traits he listed as most desirable: accuracy, mental toughness and athleticism.

What is more resilient than returning from an emergency brain surgery? Wouldn’t any coordinator want a quarterback that a defensive teammate calls one of the best athletes on the team?

All this describes redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis, who started under center for Georgia in Saturday’s 2020 season opener at Arkansas.

Mathis’ journey to this point has been anything but conventional.

The Belleville, Michigan native arrived at Georgia as a four-star early enrollee in the Class of 2019. He didn’t have the same fanfare as some other names in that class, but he came as a talented player who could compete for the starting job down the line.

In his first action in Sanford Stadium at 2019’s G-Day, Mathis fared well. He completed 15-of-28 passes for 113 yards and looked to put his name firmly in the conversation for the backup role behind Jake Fromm.

Then, May 23, 2019, happened.

Mathis experienced severe head pain, and the Georgia medical team took him to the emergency room. Doctors discovered a brain cyst that could burst at any moment.

Just over a month after taking the field for G-Day, Mathis underwent emergency brain surgery to remove the cyst. On May 27, the day he was released from the hospital, he tweeted “Dawg Nation I’m good thanks for checking on me I’ll be back sooner than ever and better never question Gods timing!”

The surgery knocked Mathis out of physical team activities all summer. His weight plummeted — Smart recalled visiting the hospital and seeing an emaciated Mathis surrounded by his family.

Instead of wallowing in pity, Mathis continued to work. After receiving clearance from multiple doctors on NFL staffs, he rehabbed throughout the summer, with the goal of returning to football activities before the end of the season.

“He’s been so resilient, earned the respect of so many people with the way he managed it and the way he came back from it and the way he worked last year,” Smart said. “He’s been a model of consistency in terms of staying the course and continuing to work. A lot of the stuff has been out of his control.”

Mathis joined practice in the second half of the 2019 season. In November, he assumed the role of scout team quarterback. There, he once again flashed the skill set that made him the 11th-rated pro-style quarterback in the 2019 class.

He zipped it all over the field with his cannon of an arm. He used his feet to get outside the pocket and extend plays, creating headaches for one of the nation’s best defenses and leading linebacker Nakobe Dean to call him “one of the most athletic people on the team.”

“It got me excited,” then-freshman linebacker Nolan Smith said. “We always say you’ve got to get excited for your brother. It’s something that we love to do. Football almost left him, and he was able to capture that again. I was just excited and happy he was out there running again.”

All those reps on the scout team allowed Mathis to face somewhat live competition. It’s not a perfect game simulation, but going against one of college football’s elite defensive units is enough to sharpen any quarterback’s skills.

Mathis also had the opportunity to learn from Fromm, one of college football’s best quarterbacks. He watched Fromm stay level-headed through the ups and downs of the season and observed how the junior’s routine helped him throughout a game week.

After the end of the 2019 season, however, Mathis slid a bit under the radar. First Jamie Newman transferred from Wake Forest, and then Daniels followed coming from Southern Cal. Freshman Carson Beck also joined the room as the latest hotshot quarterback recruit.

Add to that the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s easy to see how Mathis could become the forgotten man in Athens.

Still, he made sure the coaches knew what he could do while away from the team due to the virus. He constantly sent the staff videos of himself throwing on his own to stay sharp.

Just as he did in his recovery from brain surgery, Mathis stayed the course. Soon, other pieces started to fall into place.

Newman opted out of the season due to COVID concerns. Daniels, who has been practicing with the team and taking reps with the first team just like Mathis, has yet to be fully cleared for contact.

Suddenly, Mathis finds himself as the potential front-runner to start for Georgia in the season opener. He received the lion’s share of first-team work in the team’s third scrimmage, although Smart said that’s just how the quarterback rotation happened to fall on that given day.

“He has embraced every opportunity,” Smart said Monday. “He’s competed, he’s gotten better. He’s very talented with his feet. He understands what we’re asking him to do.”

It’s easy to tell when his teammates speak that they are thrilled for Mathis to be in this position. They’ve seen him battle back from a life-threatening situation to now being on the verge of starting at quarterback for one of the nation’s powerhouse programs.

To build a program like that, it often takes grueling practices in the baking Georgia sun. But after seeing what Mathis has gone through, practice suddenly doesn’t seem that bad.

“He could have not had the opportunity. Back then, it could have been done for him,” junior defensive lineman Jordan Davis said. “He’s blessed to practice every day, as am I.”

With his start Saturday, Mathis completes one of the most remarkable comeback stories in the history of Georgia football. He’ll have to look no farther than the opposing sideline to see proof of all the support he has in the SEC world.

Sam Pittman is making his debut as Arkansas’ head coach against the Bulldogs on Saturday. He knows Mathis’ talent and is well aware of the fact that his defense could be in for a long day against him. Still, like many who have been involved with him, Pittman just can’t hide his excitement for what the pride of Belleville has been able to do so far and what he still has in front of him.

“To be honest with you, I’m really excited if he plays against us,” Pittman told Arkansas reporters this week. “I’m excited for him because he had surgery that might not allow him to play and he’s come a long way.”

UGA football vs. Arkansas TV info, betting odds

Who: Georgia (0-0) at Arkansas (0-0)

Where: Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas

When: 4 p.m. Saturday

TV: SEC Network

Line: Georgia by 26

This story was originally published September 23, 2020 at 5:00 AM.