Nation’s No. 1 recruit, Maryland commit to set up official visit with Penn State

In recent years, Penn State football has generated first-round NFL talent at defensive end. Now, the Nittany Lions will look to leverage that success in the program’s efforts to convince the country’s top prospect in 2026 to make Happy Valley his home.

On Thursday, On3’s Hayes Fawcett reported that five-star St. Frances Academy (MD) edge rusher Zion Elee will make Penn State one of his six official visits this spring/summer. In addition to the Nittany Lions, Elee will also visit Auburn, Maryland, Ohio State, South Carolina, and Texas A&M.

NEWS: Five-Star Maryland EDGE commit Zion Elee plans to take OVs to these 6️⃣ Schools:

•Maryland
•Auburn
•Ohio State
•Penn State
•Texas A&M
•South Carolina

He is ranked as the No. 1 Recruit in ‘26 (per On3)https://t.co/Wn83TAvgpB pic.twitter.com/tBmgvSBFV5

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) February 6, 2025

A five-star prospect, Elee is the No. 1 overall player in On3’s 2026 recruiting cycle rankings. He is the No. 2 prospect nationally per 247Sports.

Penn State football looking to sway nation’s top recruit away from Big Ten rival

Elee made the surprising decision to announce an early commitment to Maryland in December. Now, James Franklin and the Nittany Lions will see if they can sway the nation’s top recruit away from his in-state school and take the short drive north to State College.

“I think Maryland is a great school,” Elee told On3 when he committed. “What made me make the decision is the coaches. They’re really good people, and I really connected with them on an outside level.

“I feel like I don’t want to wait [to commit]. I want to go somewhere and make that connection early. I always liked the environment. The coaches and visits were nice. I put everything aside and thought, what do I actually want to do? I really thought about it, and I wanted to stay home.”

If he does have a change of heart, Elee could become the centerpiece of an already elite recruiting class for Penn State football. The Nittany Lions hold nine commitments in 2026 to date and are ranked in the top 10 by both 247Sports and On3.

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