Nation's No. 1 player is listening to three college football programs despite Maryland commitment

The Maryland Terrapins are attempting to hold onto five-star recruit Zion Elee as he entertains other college football programs.

Elee (6-foot-3, 220 pounds) plays for St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Maryland, where he ranks as the nation's No. 1 player, the No. 1 EDGE and the top player in the state for the class of 2026 (Rivals industry).

Head coach Mike Locksley and the home-state Terps were able to land Elee's commitment back in December of 2024 after the highly-coveted recruit totaled 56 tackles (28 for loss) with10 sacks, seven pass breakups and three forced fumbles as a junior.

Elee updated his recruitment on Sunday via Rivals' Marcus Bejamin, revealing that he has heard from multiple college football programs outside of Maryland. Three of those schools – Miami, South Carolina and Penn State – are receiving responses from the five-star.

“Those are the only three I respond to, but there are a bunch more, but I don’t stay in contact with them," Elee said. "I don’t really respond to other schools.”

Elee, who holds an On3 NIL valuation of $687,000, also said that he plans to only visit Maryland as those schools push for a flip. He intends to be at the Terps' season opener against FAU on Saturday (noon ET, Big Ten Network).

An elite recruit like Elee is going to receive additional interest outside of his pledge. That doesn't mean to expect a change of heart, though. For now, Maryland holds the top recruit in the fold with Early National Signing Day approaching (Dec. 3).