Nation’s top edge rusher and 2026 Big Ten commit schedules official visit to Penn State

Zion Elee, the No. 2 overall high school recruit in the 2026 class has laid out his official visit plans including an upcoming trip to Happy Valley. The five-star edge rusher from Baltimore is committed to Maryland, but that didn’t stop him from making a recent unofficial trip to Penn State as he weighs his options ahead of his senior season. 

The Maryland Terrapins assembled an impressive 2025 recruiting class and capped off the cycle with four-star edge rusher Zahir Mathis’s signature on National Signing Day. After de-committing from Ohio State, the Philadelphia native was a target for James Franklin and his staff, including defensive line coach Deion Barnes. Now, after Mike Locksley and the Terps plucked Mathis out of PA, Franklin, Barnes, and new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles will look to do the same with Elee. 

At 6-foot-3 220 pounds, Elee is billed as an elite athlete, and 247Sports national analyst Huson Standish called him, “one of the most complete edge prospects in recent memory.” If Franklin and his staff can flip his commitment, it would be a massive addition to an already elite 2026 recruiting class. 

The Nittany Lions currently have nine commits in 2026, including five 247Sports composite four-stars. The 2026 group is headlined by offensive tackle Kevin Brown and running back Messiah Mickens with safety Matt Sieg and edge rusher Daniel Jennings the key commitments on the defensive side of the ball. 

Elee would likely fill a role along the defensive line as a freshman in Happy Valley, which makes him an even higher priority because the Nittany Lions will have a lot to replace following the 2025 season. Former five-star edge Dani Dennis-Sutton returned for his senior season, as did veteran defensive end Smith Vilbert, but both will have exhausted their eligibility by 2026, and Elee could be a Day 1 starter. 

However, Penn State has stiff competition for his commitment. The Nittany Lions aren’t just hoping to beat out the Terps in this recruiting battle, but also the other four programs that he plans to take an official visit to. 

Franklin doesn’t consistently attract five-star talent, and the 2025 class, which finished ranked No. 15 in the country, is more typical of his program’s recruiting efforts. However, every few years, Franklin and Penn State make a big splash, as they did in 2022 with Dennis-Sutton, Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton, Kaytron Allen, and even three-star linebacker Abdul Carter, the potential No. 1 overall pick in this spring’s NFL draft. 

Elee could be that type of transformation talent for the Nittany Lions, one who kickstarts the inevitable re-tooling effort Franklin must undergo once the 2022 group ages out. And the 2026 class could be the type of foundational group that could lead Penn State back to national championship contention.