Maryland Football joins elite company with 5-star commitment
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The Maryland Terrapins are fresh off of signing a Top 25 class in the 2025 cycle, but all eyes are now turned toward building on that momentum in 2026. And while the Terrapins are currently in the running for some of the nations top prospects, they've already joined elite company with the commitment of five-star edge rusher, Zion Elee. The 6-3, 220 pound prospect out of St. Frances Academy committed to the Terps back on December 7th. In doing so, Maryland became one of just six programs in the country to have received a commitment from a five-star prospect - joining Ohio State, Tennessee, Texas, Oregon, and Houston.
Retweet if your team has a 2026 5-star commit⭐️https://t.co/cKsFwWUglm pic.twitter.com/C8SBMxJ0Am
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) February 20, 2025
Both On3 and 247Sports rank Elee as the No. 1 edge rusher in the country, and both recruiting services have Elee ranked within the top 5 of all recruits nationally in the 2026 class.
Here's what 247Sports recruiting analyst Hudson Standish has to say about the elite prospect out of Maryland:
"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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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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