Maryland football officially signed five-star EDGE rusher Zion Elee on Wednesday.
Elee signed his letter of intent at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, confirming his longstanding commitment to the program.
“I think anytime you recruit a guy that has the ability to affect the game on defense, we saw with guys like Zaire Mathis, Sydney Stewart, even CJ Smith, young players that really contributed and created value as pass rushers, as dynamic guys that are what we call gameplan wreckers,” head coach Michael Locksley said. “Zion fits into that mold.”
Elee had been committed to the Terps since Dec. 7, 2024, but had taken visits to other programs over the past year. Despite a recruitment shutdown in February, Elee visited South Carolina as recently as Oct. 24.
Elee, a 6-foot-3.5, 220 EDGE rusher, is the No. 5 composite-ranked recruit, according to 247Sports. He was the top-rated positional recruit and the top recruit from the state of Maryland.
“To be able to add a player Zion’s caliber is a pass rush ability, the ability that I think he has to put on the size and weight and still maintain dynamic athleticism, the versatility,” Locksley said. “I mean, 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 was one of 16 recruits who signed with Maryland on National Signing Day. The Terps currently have the No. 41 composite-ranked recruiting class, according to 247Sports.
According to 247Sports, Elee becomes the top-rated recruit to ever sign with Maryland, beating out NFL receiver Stefon Diggs.
Elee is Maryland’s first five-star signee since 2021, when Chop Robinson signed with the program. Robinson later transferred to Penn State and became a first-round draft pick. Robinson and Elee are Maryland’s only five-star recruits under Locksley.
“I’m a local guy. I’ve had great success with local players. If you look at some of the top players that have come out of this area, as I’ve stated before, there hasn’t been anybody more committed to recruiting this region,” Locksley said.
