Nation's top 2026 edge rusher says Oregon remains pushing hard for his services

St. Frances Academy edge Zion Elee spoke about Oregon and recent visits to Maryland, Tennessee

Interview with St. Frances Academy's Zion Elee /

Zion Elee, one of the nation's top pass rushers has been making his rounds when it comes to visits over this past summer and into this fall.

The 2026 edge rusher had a strong performance in St. Frances Academy's dominant 35-7 victory over Clearwater Central Catholic (Florida) and after the game, talked about his recent visits to Maryland and Tennessee, respectively.

St. Frances Academy picks up another big win in Florida

"Recently I visited Tennessee. It was a good visit and they had a great environment," Elee said about his recent visits. "Then I visited Maryland for their homecoming game against USC. It was agreat event. A lot of people there at the game. The energy was there and I had a few conversations with the coaches there."

A team that looks to be atop of Elee's list of suitors is the Oregon Ducks, whom the junior defensive end says have remained in constant contact as they pursue the Maryland 5-star defender.

"(Oregon) has been pushing on me the hardest," Elee said. "They haven't stopped. It's been constant and texting me, not every single day, but every week they're hitting my line. We just keep a strong connection."

Down below is 247Sports evaluation of the 2026 defensive 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. ... 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."

Oregon Ducks projected to land nation's No. 1 overall prospect: Report

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-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @highschoolonsi