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Maryland Football: Terps now have No. 1 recruit in the country

The Maryland Terrapins now have the commitment from the No. 1 prospect in the nation for the 2026 recruiting class.

Chris Breiler

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The Maryland Terrapins have put together some great momentum on the recruiting trail as of late. Fresh off of signing the No. 25 ranked class nationally for the 2025 cycle, the Terps are also just one of a handful of programs that currently have a five-star commitment in the 2026 class. Zion Elee, an elite edge rusher out of St. Frances Academy, committed to Maryland back in December and was widely regarded as one of the top recruits in the country. But on Monday, On3 gave Elee a ratings boost, making him to No. 1 overall player in the country for the 2026 class.

Even better, Elee recently announced that he was shutting down his recruitment and cancelling any upcoming visits to other programs, saying there was no need to explore since he was already home.

Interestingly enough, the Terrapins are also in the mix for another prospect on that list who is currently sitting in the No. 4 spot nationally - Immanuel Iheanacho. The Maryland native is another five-star prospect who is considering staying home, although other top programs like Oregon, Alabama, and Georgia are all in the mix.

When you consider how much of a struggle it has been for Maryland to find a breakthrough season as part of the Big Ten, the recent recruiting success by head coach Mike Locksley and his staff has been impressive. If they can ultimately keep Elee in the fold and land some other big wins with guys like Iheanacho, the Terps could be on their way to the best recruiting stretch in program history.

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Chris Breiler
CHRIS BREILER

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.

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