After dropping the final eight games of an abysmal 2025 season, Maryland football coach Michael Locksley looked to his 2026 recruiting class.

He was met with the Terps’ highest-ranked recruit in program history.

Five-star edge rusher Zion Elee officially signed with Maryland on National Signing Day. The decision capped a year’s worth of speculation on if he would stay true to College Park.

The St. Frances Academy product is the No. 5 player in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. He committed to Maryland on Dec. 7, 2024 and shut down his recruitment in February, but took visits to Auburn in May and South Carolina in October.

[Zion Elee signs with Maryland football, becomes highest-ranked recruit in program history]

Maryland fleshed out its recruiting class in the week leading up to National Signing Day. It flipped five three-star recruits: defensive linemen Cameron Brickle and Jamarcus Whyce, quarterback Nathan Bernhard, cornerback Sean Johnson and wide receiver Josiah Teasley.

Johnson attends Archbishop Spalding, the high school of current Terps’ quarterback Malik Washington, marking two consecutive years of the Terps signing a recruit from the school in Severn.

Teasley, who’s joining his high school teammate and fellow wide receiver Jayden Kitchens in Maryland’s recruiting class, and Whyce committed to Maryland on National Signing Day.

Three-star tight end Damon Hall Jr. is Maryland’s only 2026 recruit who remains unsigned.

The Terps’ 2026 recruiting class, now with 16 prospects officially signed, ranks No. 42 nationally and No. 10 in the Big Ten. Maryland joins USC, Oregon, Ohio State, Michigan and Washington as the only Big Ten schools to land a five-star recruit this cycle. Elee is the latest in a string of local wins for Maryland athletics. Men’s basketball signed five-star forward Baba Oladotun and track added Olympic gold medalist Quincy Wilson in November.

[Jianni Davis hopes to standout from his father’s legacy for Maryland football]

Announcements

Davion “FatRat” Brown, 2026, Wide Receiver, Trinity Episcopal (Richmond, Virginia)

After decommitting from Penn State in October, Brown narrowed his recruitment to Virginia Tech, Kansas State and Maryland, according to ESPN. The composite four-star ultimately followed former Nittany Lions coach James Franklin to Virginia Tech, signing with the Hokies on Wednesday.

It marks a blow to a Maryland offense that could use upgraded targets. He would have been Maryland’s highest-ranked receiver commit in the 2026 class.

He averaged more than 20 yards per catch in his freshman and junior seasons. Maryland’s 10.8 yards per reception ranked 12th in the Big Ten.

The Terps’ top three leaders in receiving yards this season were seniors. Other than the trio and redshirt junior Kaleb Webb, no Maryland wide receivers had double-digit receptions or more than 25 receiving yards.

Thomas Wilder, 2026, Offensive Tackle, Green Run (Virginia Beach, Virginia)

Locksley lost out on another Virginia talent when Wilder, a four-star offensive tackle, recommitted to Virginia Tech on Monday. 

Wilder initially decommitted from the Hokies when coach Brent Pry was fired in September. Maryland looked like a strong candidate for Wilder when he took a second official visit to College Park on Oct. 4. Penn State — another program Wilder had visited — fired Franklin eight days later, further helping Maryland’s chances.

The Hokies hired Franklin on Nov. 17, reestablishing themselves as the favorite to land Wilder. He visited Blacksburg, Virginia, on Nov. 29, and chose Virginia Tech over Maryland for a second time two days later.

He would have been Maryland’s second-highest rated recruit and its lone four-star prospect. After snagging two touted players from Virginia, Franklin — while no longer in the Big Ten — is again announcing himself as a recruiting threat.

Visits

Men’s Basketball

Theo Edema, 2027, Center, Cushing Academy (Ashburnham, Massachusetts)

Maryland has gained a lead in the recruiting race for Edema, the No. 1 2027 player in Massachusetts. The four-star visited College Park in November and 247Sports lists his interest in the Terps as warm — the only program with that designation.

Coach Buzz Williams has had recent success recruiting from Massachusetts. Redshirt freshmen Andre Mills and George Turkson Jr., who both followed him from Texas A&M, are from Massachusetts.

At 6-foot-11, Edema would be the Terps’ tallest player and a lengthy defensive presence. 

Football

Brian Snowden Jr., 2029, Quarterback, Archbishop Spalding (Severn)

Snowden — Washington’s successor as Archbishop Spalding’s starting quarterback — took an unofficial visit to College Park on Nov. 22. In his freshman season, Snowden led the Cavaliers to a 10-1 campaign.

He threw for 2,100 yards and scored 29 total touchdowns.

Maryland has built a recruiting pipeline with Archbishop Spalding. After landing Washington last year and Johnson in the 2026 class, the Terps are targeting four-star wide receiver Myles McAfee in 2027 and four-star offensive tackle Bryce Smalls in the 2028 class.