Five-Star Maryland Commit Zion Elee Sits Atop 247Sports Composite Rankings
Before he even came to campus, Maryland commit Zion Elee made history as the highest-ranked recruit in school history; now he has made even more history in the latest 247Sports composite rankings. The five-star edge rusher became the first Maryland commit to be the top-ranked player in the country for the class of 2026.
Elee moved up in the rankings when the Rivals-On3 merger became official; Rivals' ranking, which slotted Elee lower than the other recruiting sites, was eliminated from the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
Rivals cited Missouri commit offensive lineman Jackson Cantwell as the second-ranked overall player in each of the last two ranking updates behind Tennessee committed quarterback Brandon Faizon. Stefon Diggs was previously the highest-ranked recruit in program history, finishing No. 8 overall in the 2012 recruiting class.
The St. Frances Academy phenom is 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds and clocked in at 4.43 in the 40-yard dash and recorded a broad jump of 11 feet at a camp earlier this spring. He is still the second-ranked player in the country by 247Sports, ranking behind Faizon.
Hunter Standish of 247Sports described the unbelievable tools he possesses after scouting him earlier this spring.
"Built in a lab to get after the quarterback. Verified near 6-foot-4, 220 pounds with elite length and a combine testing profile that could be mistaken for a field-stretching X receiver. Outside of the athletic traits, he shows a natural feel for the position ... The type of 3-4 outside linebacker who could provide an immediate spark in a P4 front seven before eventually putting on a show at the NFL Combine. A proverbial "freak of nature" type with long-term NFL Draft first-round upside.”
As with all top recruits, there is still a sentiment that Elee will flip his commitment to a blue-blood program because usually a top-ranked recruit would choose a middle-tier football program such as Maryland; however, according to sources close to Elee, his recruitment is closed. As he told Brian Dohn of 247Sports back in late May:
"I take it as they want to talk to me, but they know I am going to a school," Elee said. "Some schools respect my decision, and we have mutual conversations (outside of recruiting), and other schools try to get me to come visit, and I just politely decline.” Elee said. ” It's really not that hard for me. As a man, you make your own decisions, and I stand by mine.”
With Elee set to join the program in January, he is only a few short months away from embarking on a mission to bring a golden era of Maryland football.
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Brandon is a lifelong sports long sports fanatic with over a decade in sports media. He's a Prince George’s County, Maryland native who has spent most of his adult life in the Greater Pittsburgh Area. After getting his start as an intern with Sportsradio 93.7 the fan in Pittsburgh, he covered high school sports for TribTotalMedia, covered Pittsburgh Athletics for Pittsburgh Sports Report, Pittsburgh Sports Now (Penn State coverage), and was credentialed for the 2022 season for the New Pittsburgh Courier. Brandon is now covering HBCU Sports for Urban Media Today, as well covering the Terps for Maryland on SI.