Nation's No. 1 EDGE Trims Commitment List Down To Top Five Programs

The nation's top 2026 EDGE prospect, Zion Elee, announced his top five programs on Saturday. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound edge rusher's top schools are the Alabama Crimson Tide, Ohio State Buckeyes, Georgia Bulldogs, Oregon Ducks, and Penn State Nittany Lions.

Elee, a native of Joppatowne, Maryland, racked up 64 total tackles, 24 tackles for loss, and 13 sacks for Joppa (Md.) High School. Elee will be suiting up for Saint Frances Academy (Md.) this fall after transferring ahead of his junior season.

Elee is ranked as a five-star prospect and is the No. 1 EDGE and No. 2 prospect within Maryland. He is also listed as the No. 6 overall recruit in the 2026 recruiting cycle.

While Elee has not taken any official visits to any program, he has taken unofficial visits to each of his top five with Oregon receiving a visit from the five-star in late July. Penn State has the most amount of visits among his top five schools with the Nittany Lions earning Elee's presence twice.

Penn State is the presumed early favorite for Elee. The Nittany Lions were the third program to extend an offer in January.

Elee has an established positive relationship with Nittany Lions' defensive line coach, Deion Barnes, and preached his appreciation for the insight he gained from attending offseason camps with Barnes.

“I liked how Coach Barnes helped me through the drills and corrected my mistakes after every rep. He also fixed my stance,” Elee said. “I like that he wants everything to be perfect and wants to get me there.”

Although Elee has yet to announce a commitment date, all five programs will be eager to impose their own impression of the nation's top EDGE as he considers his decision.

Related: Nation's No. 1 Safety Narrows Commitment Down To Five Schools

Related: Dan Lanning, Oregon Ducks Earn Massive Commitment From Five-Star Safety