After 361 days of dramatics, Zion Elee finally put pen to paper Wednesday.
The five-star recruit officially signed with Maryland football, becoming the highest-ranked recruit in program history. Coach Michael Locksley said he never endured doubts that his team wouldn’t keep Elee.
The edge rusher is the No. 2 player in the 2026 class and committed to the Terps on Dec. 7, 2024, picking them over more successful programs such as Oregon, Alabama and Texas. Maryland currently boasts the 46th ranked recruiting class for 2026 — 12th in the Big Ten — with Elee as the sole five-star.
“To be able to add a player of Zion’s caliber, his pass rush ability, the ability that I think he has to put on the size and weight and still maintain dynamic athleticism,” Locksley said. “I’ve seen the kid play running back, I’ve seen him play receiver. I’ve seen him do a lot of things, which I guess shows the athletic ability of a guy like him.”
Elee attends St. Frances Academy in Baltimore and posted 36 sacks across three years. He told The Diamondback that staying close to home was a critical factor of his recruitment.
“Building blocks include lightning-quick first step, closing burst, and ideal reactionary athleticism,” 247Sports national analyst Hudson Standish said of Elee. “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.”
Elee is another local recruiting win for Locksley.
Locksley brought in four-star quarterback Malik Washington from Glen Burnie last year. The freshman tossed for 2,963 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions this season. Three-star edge rusher Sidney Stewart is from Joppa, Maryland, and tallied a team-high seven sacks as a freshman.
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The Terps signed six of the top 17 players from the state of Maryland on Wednesday.
“I’m a local guy, I’ve had great success with local players,” Locksley said. “There hasn’t been anybody more committed to recruiting this region … relationships still do matter, as this class proves.”
Adding Elee along Stewart and four-star freshman Zahir Mathis — assuming they don’t enter the transfer portal this offseason — could give Maryland one of the nation’s top pass rushes.
“To see what Zahir and Sid did this year as disruptors on the defensive side of the ball … I think what you’ll see out of Zion is that type of ability, that type of value created, and that type of playmaking ability on the defensive side of the ball,” Locksley said.
Elee joining the Terps may be most important for Locksley, who’s been under intense scrutiny after a second straight 4-8 finish. While the seventh-year coach continues to land highly ranked recruits, the talent on the field hasn’t translated to wins.
Now with Elee and Washington, two prospects that were sought by most of the country, pressure grows larger for Locksley to turn the program around. His chances to do that should improve with a freshman as talented as Elee.
