Five-star edge Zion Elee had his eyes set on the bright lights when his recruitment took off, drawing looks from the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Oregon and Ohio State among others. Maryland was under consideration, but it took a bit of convincing to convince the 6-foot-4, 220-pound edge to truly consider staying home.
“They weren’t pushing hard. It felt like they could’ve recruited me harder,” Elee said. But that changed over the summer into the fall as the five-star felt he was a priority for head coach Mike Locksley and his staff as Elee and “Manny” Iheanacho blossomed into blue-chip prospects right in the Terps’ backyard.
“I knew from the jump. They’ve been there since the beginning of the process. Since I went down there they’ve been in it but recently, they’ve been really pushing a lot more. I’ve been getting to know them a lot more. I’ve built a connection with them. It just fits the puzzle now and I felt like it was time.”
Elee made one visit to Maryland this fall – the homecoming win vs. USC in a visit that the five-star said “changed my perspective on Maryland.” And that’s when the blue-chip prospect admitted the Terps became a serious contender to land him.
“That’s definitely when I felt it. When I had that meeting with Locksley, that’s when I started to feel it,” Elee said. “They definitely did push that a lot. When I had the meeting with Locks, he was telling me how all these big players from here go other places and make other places powers instead of just staying home and building at home. And I just felt that. I just want to build at home.”
Assistant Aazaar Abdul-Rahim led the way with the St. Frances product in a collective staff effort that made Elee feel like home was his home for good. “It was mainly Aazaar that I was in communication with and also the edge coach, but coach Aazaar mainly was talking to me like every day. It’s good that I know and it’s done and I just wanted to do it. I was ready to announce.”
Elee now becomes the third pledge in Maryland’s 2026 class out of St. Frances, joining teammates Khmari Bing and Damon Hall in the fold. “I told them like a week ago that I was interested in committing and I just made it happen,” Elee added. “I’m trying to get people to flip their mind [about Maryland] now.”
With the early signing period in the 2025 class now complete and attention shifting to the transfer portal, coaches across the country are beginning to lay the groundwork for their 2026 recruiting efforts and Elee knows he’ll be part of other school’s plans. Heading into the new year, Elee isn’t interested in scheduling visits.
“I’m going to calm the visits down for now. I’m very happy with where I’m at.”
Elee, the nation’s top prospect in the 2026 class, becomes the highest-rated pledge in program history and is expected to enroll early.
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