Where Maryland football's 2026 recruiting class ranks within Big Ten, nationally

Ahmed Ghafir
Jul 16
2 min read

Maryland football picked up its 12th commit of the 2026 cycle on Wednesday afternoon after WR Jayden Kitchens went public with his decision, committing to Maryland over Cincinnati and Virginia Tech, to give head coach Mike Locksley his first wide receiver commit of the cycle.

“I feel like Maryland is a great spot for me. It’s at the crib. They have Malik Washington there and I feel like he’s a great quarterback,” Kitchens told IBG about why Maryland won out. “I like Maryland as well because they’re in the Big Ten. They play great competition.”

Kitchens also marks the ninth commit for Maryland this cycle out of the DMV as head coach Mike Locksley and his staff put a premium on the area’s talent this cycle. TE Brayden Marko went public with his commitment ahead of official visits to become the first high school target out of Gonzaga to commit to Maryland since Johnny Jordan committed in the 2017 class. The local run on tight ends didn’t end there after Maryland beat NC State and Pitt for TE Javonte Williams, becoming the first Bullis prospect to commit to Maryland since Dwayne Haskins in the 2016 class.

Maryland’s incoming high school class may not end up ranked as high as in years due to the small group of departing seniors following the 2025 season, while the current 2026 class ranked 50th nationally by On3 compared to 64th by 247. Still, the average commit rating - 87.7 on On3 vs. 87.91 on 247 - places them seventh in the Big Ten behind Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, USC and Washington.

Of course, the class is led by five-star edge Zion Elee, one of four current commits out of St. Frances this cycle, as he remained the nation’s top edge prospect and ranked third overall in Rivals’ updated 2026 rankings this week.

“Zion Elee, who debuted as a blue-chip outlier and top ten prospect for On3 in March, has separated himself as the clear top EDGE prospect in the cycle,” On3 wrote. “He owns freakish physical and athletic tools at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds with 35.5-inch arms and elite combine and on-field athleticism. Elee had a highly productive sophomore season at Joppatowne (Md.) High. He’s continued to up his game since transferring to talent powerhouse Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances Academy for his junior season. His first-step quickness, scary length and closing speed jump off the film. St. Frances played a national schedule and Elee had stretches of top matchups where he’s looked like the clear top prospect on the field – as a junior. There’s a ways to go in the cycle and Elee has plenty of competition for the top spot. To this point his combination of physical traits and on-field play at the premium EDGE position put him in pole position.”

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