5-star plus edge claims Maryland loyalty, but keeps PSU in his back pocket

If Penn State football head coach James Franklin wants a five-star headliner in his class of 2026, he'll have to apply a lot of pressure to flip committed players. Right now, his options lie with recruits who are already tied to Big Ten rivals.

Oregon-commit Immanuel Iheanacho has been a hot topic of conversation with Nittany Lion recruitment, but he's not the only five-star plus target on Franklin's list. Zion Elee, a five-star plus edge rusher, has been committed to Maryland since Dec. 7, 2024. In mid-July, Auburn was the only school that even had a chance at flipping the rising senior defenseman.

Now, things shifted in Penn State's favor.

“Those are the only three I respond to," Elee told Rivals' Marcus Benjamin regarding The schools he has on the back burner, Miami, South Carolina, and the Nittany Lions.

Elee is the No. 1 overall recruit, edge, and Maryland prospect from the class of 2026. He received just under 40 offers, but no school had a pull strong enough to detach him from home. The Baltimore, Md. native was described as if he were "built in a lab to get after the quarterback" in 247Sports national analyst Hudson Standish's scouting report.

"Outside of the athletic traits, [Elee] shows a natural feel for the position," Standish continued in his report. "Building blocks include lightning-quick first step, closing burst, and ideal reactionary athleticism. Laterally explosive and can quickly move gap-to-gap or chase down ball carriers from the weak side. Motor consistently runs hot."

With Jim Knowles now Penn State's defensive coordinator and a slew of players, past and present, on that side of the ball, Franklin should be getting the attention he needs to successfully flip a recruit and boost his class of 2026 standing. He fell all the way down to No. 16 and hasn't made much progress since being the victim of flipped recruits and missed commitments.

From the class of 2027, the Nittany Lions recently landed a commitment from cornerback Gabe Jenkins on Aug. 18. Now it's time to rally and flip the five-star plus rising senior. With modern names, like Abdul Carter, Dani Dennis-Sutton, and Zuriah Fisher, having lots of success at edge for Penn State, the program is fit for explosive, powerful defensive ends, like the class of 2027 target.

Even though Elee claims his loyalty to the Maryland Terrapins, staying in contact with three schools with Franklin being one of them gives the Nittany Lions a lot of hope to make a case and pull out a huge recruitment flip.