Auburn Receives Unfortunate News on No. 1 Recruit

After making a late push, the Auburn Tigers will miss out on the top recruit from the 2026 class. On3’s Hayes Fawcett reported Friday that Maryland commit and edge rusher Zion Elee’s recruitment is now shut down. Elee decided to stick with the Terrapins and cancel all planned official visits.

Elee had scheduled an official visit with Auburn for June 13. He was also planning on visiting Ohio State, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Penn State. The edge rusher has been committed to Maryland since December.

He is an in-state product from St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Maryland. Elee comes in at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds.

BREAKING: Five-Star Maryland EDGE commit Zion Elee has shut down his Recruitment & cancelled his OV’s, he tells me for @on3recruits

The No. 1 Recruit in the ‘26 Class was set to take visits to Ohio St, Auburn, Penn St, Texas A&M, & South Carolina

“I’m home, no need to explore.”… pic.twitter.com/k3h2cze7vA

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) February 21, 2025

Elee is a five-star recruit and the top overall prospect, edge rusher, and Maryland native, per On3 Sports.

When asked about the decision, he said he was already home, referring to Maryland. “I’m home, no need to explore,” Elee said.

Elee has been offered by many of the top programs in college football, including Oregon, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Miami, Alabama, Georgia, and others. If Elee had decided to transfer from Maryland, he would have been Auburn’s first five-star commit from the 2026 class.

Auburn currently has commitments from four-star edge rusher Hezekiah Harris, four-star receivers Devin Carter and Denairius Gray, four-star linebacker Shadarius Toodle and JaMichael Garrett and three-star safety Wayne Henry. The Tigers just had a 5-7 season under head coach Hugh Freeze.

Their bowl eligibility came down to the final game of the regular season in the “Iron Bowl” against Alabama. Auburn lost 28-14 and effectively missed out on the postseason. Auburn’s third year under Freeze begins on Aug. 30, when the Tigers take on Baylor away from home.