“One of the more complete edge prospects in recent memory at this stage of the evaluation process,” says 247 Sports’ scouting reports every time Zion Elee’s name pops up. A sophomore at the Joppatowne High School in Maryland, the edge rusher has turned heads with his sheer physicality and talent on the field. At six-foot-five and 220 pounds, Elee’s biggest strength is his “freakishly” long arms at 35.5 inches. As per On3, “his arms would be tied for the fourth longest out of the 81 EDGE prospects taking rounds 1-3 of the last six NFL Drafts”. Talk about literally being built to play. Hence, it’s not surprising that recruiters have kept their eyes firmly on the youngster’s movements…

Oregon, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Indiana, Purdue, Maryland, Cincinnati and Penn State are just some of the universities he’s visited till now. Apart from that, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Alabama and Florida have contacted him recently, as per a conversation between the recruit and Steve Wiltfong (On3’s VP of Recruiting and Transfer Portal). Not just that, Elee has also received offers from teams like UCLA, Michigan, among others. But what does the player plan to do? Well, he just revealed a major update that’s sure to crease some eyebrows and send some into jubilation. But, before we get to that…

For the unversed: As a freshman, Zion recorded 38 tackles and 13 sacks. During his sophomore year, he bolstered that stat to a staggering  64 tackles, 24 Tackles for Loss and another 13 sacks. He also earned Class 1A all-state honors in 2023, prompting his coach, Albert Goode III, to boast to the Baltimore Sun, “He has great knowledge and passion for football…He shows great promise as a young player. He’s only going to get better and better as he plays more football. There’s something special about this kid.” Any college would be lucky to get their hands on the coveted athlete, but if you ask Zion, he’s shortened his long list down to just two…

The teen athlete recently visited (unofficially) Maryland’s homecoming game vs USC at SECU Stadium—which the latter lost 29-28—and said how it “changed my perspective on Maryland.” The player added in an interview with Wiltfong on On3’s The Inside Scoop, “Maryland visit was amazing. I’ve been to Maryland three times and this was actually the best time. They played a really good game…I talked to a lot of coaches there. They were just really pushing it to come and I was I was feeling it. I really like that.” And not just that, Elee even had a heartfelt conversation with Maryland’s head coach Mike Locksley, it seems.

“Before the game, I had a conversation with him. He was really telling me to stay home, he was…just telling me about all how all the kids in Maryland would go to other schools instead of staying at home. Everybody just want to go out the country or I mean out the state. And they can stay home and build something and could really be something,” Elee mentioned. He even posted a three-word tweet after his visit, further indicating his fondness for the college.“I like Maryland,” he wrote on October 19. But here’s a twist: Zion also named a team that is on his mind besides Maryland.

Talking to Wiltfong, Elee mentioned about his blossoming camaraderie with the University of Oregon football coach Dan Lannning, “Recently, we’ve been building a strong relationship, and I’m going to talk more frequently when I went down to a visit; that’s when I had a real long conversation with him about where we stand with each other. And, yeah, it’s just been going good. Oregon has just been pushing me to move.”

“I would say Oregon is my leader. But then again, I’ve recently started thinking about Maryland. I recently had Maryland consideration, so I would say Maryland and Oregon are top.” Furthermore when asked if there are any other colleges he add to the top, the youngster replied, “Yeah. I’ve recently been in communication with Miami, Texas, and Penn State and Ohio State schools around that. Yeah, I put them up there. Right, so any other visits that you know that you want to take before the season’s over, sure,” before adding Alabama’s name as a “favorite since I was a kid”. 

For now though, let’s learn who else is going to be there in its 2026 class.

Oregon Ducks’ solid 2026 class, along with Zion Elee

Although Oregon holds a no. 1 ranking currently in the AP poll and also has a strong grip on the recruiting trail, it doesn’t mean the five-star prospect, Zion Elee, will land with the ducks. Because he’s a prospect for the 2026 class. Another thing is that Elee hails from Baltimore, and chances are there, he goes somewhere near his hometown.

That’s when his second option comes; possibly, he can think about terrapins and commit to Maryland in a way to be with his family. Eugene will be quite far from the place he hails from. Besides that, Oregon’s 2026 class holds many talents like Zion Elee. Such as four-star offensive tackle Kodi Greene, defensive lineman Tony Cumberland, and touching topics.

More on the list are quarterback Jonathan Williams, running back Traian Bell, defensive lineman Viliami Moala, and edge rusher Dutch Horisk. Apart from that, whichever team lands Zion Elee’s commitment would hit the jackpot because the young guy had 102 total tackles and 26 sacks throughout the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

Which team do you think Zion Elee will join? Let us know your predictions in the comments below!