Maryland football edge rusher Zion Elee tabbed among impact Big Ten freshmen

Ahmed Ghafir
7 minutes ago
2 min read

While many are also looking to see what the year two jump from both Sidney Stewart and Zahir Mathis proves to be in 2026, adding freshman edge rusher Zion Elee to the mix could be what elevates the pass rush unit into one of the best in the country in 2026. Yet as the youngest piece in the room, how Elee acclimates to the college game and Maryland's system is what fall camp can prove as he now looks to earn his reps. It's partly why ESPN tabbed Elee as the ninth-best impact freshman in the Big Ten, sandwiched between TE Kendre' Harrison and OL Immanuel Iheanacho out of Oregon.

"Elee was the No. 2 prospect in the class and has NFL-type measurables, an excellent first step and disruptive length off the edge. He's Maryland's highest-ranked recruit in the ESPN recruiting rankings era. So why doesn't he rank higher on this list? Elee will need to work into a rotation alongside Sidney Stewart and Zahir Mathis, who led the Terps in sacks as freshmen," Billy Tucker of ESPN and UC Report wrote. "Good luck, Big Ten quarterbacks."

Elee arrived back in January where the former five-star out of Joppatowne and St. Frances Academy was able to get his feet wet in spring ball while frequently getting work alongside the sophomore tandem, Sidney Stewart and Zahir Mathis. Now, he's getting the chance to do it full speed as Elee and the defense will look to put it together during the first scrimmage of fall camp next Saturday, Aug. 15.

"Zion is in the process of learning the system, learning where he fits, figuring out what are the things that I can do first? We'll get the things that he struggles with, we'll get those corrected over time," defensive coordinator Ted Monachino said about the freshman. "Those things that he can do, that's the way that we're going to try to use him as best we can. Try to take as many rocks out of his pocket as we can so we can play fast, so he can impact games and impact plays as often as possible."

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