Maryland Football's 2026 recruiting class continues to struggle in latest Big Ten rankings
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The Maryland Terrapins are in desperate need of some recruiting wins in the near future. On Saturday, Rivals released its latest team recruiting rankings for the 2026 class, and the Terps are currently near the bottom of the Big Ten, coming in at No. 17 out of 18 teams. Worse yet, the Terps also have the least amount of commitments with just 11 in the class so far.
Updated Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings for the Big Ten‼️https://t.co/CMM7eifNRE pic.twitter.com/LQU0j6FuuY
— Rivals (@Rivals) July 12, 2025
Obviously, head coach Mike Locksley scored a massive win when he secured the commitment of five-star edge rusher Zion Elee, arguably the top prospect in the nation. The Terps also landed a solid piece with four-star offensive lineman Day'jon Moore. But the class as a whole has been incredibly slow to materialize, leading many to be concerned with where this class will ultimately finish.
Here's a look at the current commitments in Maryland's 2026 recruiting class:
- Zion Elee, 5-star EDGE
- Day'jon Moore, 4-star IOL
- Kaden Carter, 3-star LB
- Hakim Satterwhite, 3-star CB
- Damon Hall, 3-star TE
- Zahir Cobb, 3-star S
- Javonte Williams, 3-star TE
- Jesse Moody, 3-star OT
- Khmari Bing, 3-star S
- Brayden Marko, 3-star TE
- Jianni Davis, 3-star EDGE
While it's encouraging that Locksley has kept four of the top 15 in-state recruits home (Zion Elee, Javonte Williams, Hakim Satterwhite, and Damon Hall Jr.), it's also a tough look when the other nine top prospects from the state have chosen other destinations. The Terps missed on four of the top five in-state recruits, including Immanuel Iheanacho (Oregon), Jireh Edwards (Alabama), Khary Adams (Notre Dame), and Connor Salmin (Clemson). And while it's not all that surprising to see those blue blood programs be able to snatch the top talent out of Maryland, those are the types of players that Locksley needs in College Park if the Terps have any hope of achieving a breakthrough season in the Big Ten.
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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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