JUST IN: Maryland football misses on elite 2026 recruit in surprise announcement
In their pursuit for some of the top rated prospects in the 2026 class, the Maryland Terrapins missed out on an elite talent from the state of Ohio. Last week, four-star cornerback Victor Singleton announced that he had officially received an offer from head coach Mike Locksley and the Terrapins.
According to 247Sports, Singleton is rated as the No. 1 overall prospect in the state of Ohio and the No. 3 cornerback in the nation. While the Ohio native was initially favored to remain home and become a Buckeye, other programs from around the country continued to pursue. On Saturday, Singleton made it official that he was committing to Illinois in a somewhat surprising turn of events.
BREAKING: Elite 2026 CB Victor Singleton has Committed to Illinois, he tells me for @on3recruits
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) February 1, 2025
The 6’0 165 CB from Toledo, OH chose the Fighting Illini over Texas A&M and Michigan
He is ranked as a Top 5 CB in the ‘26 Class (per On3)
“I’M HOME”https://t.co/j2Hbts1AHw pic.twitter.com/NqzsJ2GJ4W
Singleton had received 24 offers from some of the premier programs around the country, including Ohio State, Oregon, and Michigan. Given the types of programs that were going after Singleton, it's not all that surprising that he didn't end up in College Park. What is surprising, however, is that it was Illinois that was able to seal the deal - a program that has failed to become bowl eligible in three of the last five seasons.
And while Singleton was a longshot for the Terrapins, there's still plenty to like about Maryland's 2026 commitment list at the moment. It begins with five-star EDGE Zion Elee, one of the most sought after prospects in the nation. According to On3, Elee is the No. 2 overall prospect from the state of Maryland and the No. 1 edge rusher in the nation (No. 3 overall prospect nationally). If the Terps can hold off other programs and ultimately sign the five-star edge rusher in the 2026 class, that would be a huge win for Locksley and his staff.
Elee is joined by a trio of three star prospects that are also committed to Maryland in the 2026 class, including Damon Hall (TE), Brian Harris (DL), and Khmari Bing (CB).
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Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. In January of 2025, he took over as Publisher for Maryland On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.