Maryland Football: 5-star commit Zion Elee visits rival Big Ten program
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After taking a visit to Auburn over the weekend, five-star Maryland commit Zion Elee continues to explore all options. On Tuesday, he shared a picture with Penn State head coach James Franklin, as the Nittany Lions are clearly trying to lure the elite 2026 recruit away from College Park.
While Elee continues to field offers from some of the top programs around the country, he recently indicated that he was still fully committed to the University of Maryland in a recent tweet - a tweet that was deleted shortly after. In reaffirming his commitment to the Terrapins, Elee said he was simply enjoying the recruiting process and the opporutnity to see other programs around the country. Although it's not ideal to have your prized recruit visiting other locations, Elee should absolutely take advantage of this process.
RELATED: Maryland Football: Elite 5-star prospect reaffirms commitment to Terrapins
Elee committed to the Terrapins back on Dec. 7, 2024, but that hasn't stopped some of the top programs from around the country in their pursuit of the elite prospect. In recent days, Elee took a visit to Auburn and received an offer from LSU. He also made it clear that he'd like to get down to Tuscaloosa to check out the Crimson Tide. As of this writing, Elee currently holds 35 offers from some of the top programs in the country - including Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Oregon, and Ohio State.
Here's what Hudson Standish of 247Sports had to say about the elite 2026 edge rusher:
"One of the more complete edge prospects in recent memory at this stage of the evaluation process ahead of his junior season. It feels as if he was built in a lab to get after the quarterback, verified hovering around 6-foot-4, 220 pounds with elite length measurements and a combine testing profile that could be mistaken for a field-stretching X receiver. Verified athletic markers are good enough to compare favorably against Top247 caliber senior edge rushers from the past two recruiting cycles. Outside of the athletic traits, has a natural feel for the position that allowed him to rack up 13 sacks in only nine games, even though his bag of pass-rushing moves isn't deep at this stage of his development. Building blocks of his game are his lightning-quick first step, closing burst, and ideal reactionary athleticism. Laterally explosive and can quickly move gap-to-gap or chase down ball carriers from the weak side. Motor consistently runs hot, and there might not be a better edge rusher in the 2026 cycle at quickly redirecting to wrap up evasive quarterbacks. Currently works as more of a new-age speed rusher who can occasionally work speed to power, but owns the frame to put on weight and develop into a complete product while retaining the tools that make him unique. Will face a step up in competition as a junior after transferring from MPSSAA 1A program Joppatowne to Baltimore prospect factory St. Frances Academy. Should be viewed as a potential instant impact 3-4 outside linebacker at the next level who could eventually put on a show at the NFL Combine."
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