Maryland misses on elite 5-star in-state prospect to Big Ten powerhouse
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The Terrapins know that the only way to compete in a loaded Big Ten conference is to keep top talent home. That's why it was such a big deal when head coach Mike Locksley and his staff received a commitment from five-star edge rusher Zion Elee. The 6-4, 220-pound prospect out of Baltimore is rated as the No. 1 player in the state of Maryland and the No. 2 overall prospect in the nation for the 2026 class.
Maryland was hoping to continue that trend with five-star offensive lineman Immanuel Iheanacho, another Baltimore prospect who was giving the Terps some consideration early on. But as his recruitment progressed, it became clear that Iheanacho was trending away from College Park as other major programs came calling. On Thursday, Iheanacho made it official by announcing his commitment to Oregon. It wasn't an unexpected loss for the Terps, but it's still painful watching the No. 2 prospect from your state go elsewhere.
BREAKING: Five-Star Plus+ OT Immanuel Iheanacho has Committed to Oregon, he tells me for @rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 3, 2025
The 6’7 365 OT chose the Ducks over LSU, Penn State, & Auburn
“All Glory to the most high, Duck Nation I’m ready to get to work! #CallGod”https://t.co/GQmSKWFLoP pic.twitter.com/Kb7mGsceu7
Although Maryland has picked up a couple of commitments recently, the class is still slow to materialize. As of this writing, the Terps are currently rated dead least in 18th place within the Big Ten conference for the 2026 recruiting class. There's still plenty of time to get things back on track and finish in the top half of the rankings, but there's no question that fans would like to see better results on the recruiting trail at this point.
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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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