Maryland’s Zion Elee keeps stacking up the kind of plays that make you stop and look twice.
On Monday, the edge rusher was named On3 True Freshman of the Week, a fitting nod for a former five-star recruit who has been hovering around a breakout for weeks and is now turning that promise into production.
Elee’s first college sack nearly arrived in his debut against Hampton, when he came up just a step short of quarterback Kalieb Osborne. The first real flash came in Week 2 on the road, when he logged two solo tackles, his first sack and a forced fumble, with DD Holmes recovering the loose ball. After a quieter showing in the non-conference finale, he added another sack in the loss to UCLA.
Then came another big swing against Ohio State, when Elee forced a fumble on Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin in the road loss. That was the second of three straight games in which he recorded at least 0.5 sacks.
His biggest statement so far came at Purdue, where he posted 2.5 sacks in the road win and teamed with Sidney Stewart for the game-sealing sack. That total was the most by a Terp since Yannick Ngakoue had three against Bowling Green on Sept. 12, 2015.
Elee heads into Maryland’s upcoming home game against Wisconsin leading all freshmen and sitting 29th nationally with six sacks in 2026. He is also the only freshman with three forced fumbles. In addition, he became the first Terp since Ruben Hyppolite in 2023 to record multiple sacks in a Big Ten game, and no freshman had done it since current Dallas Cowboys linebacker Jaishawn Barham in 2022.
“We're extremely excited for Zion. I've had a hand in recruiting him.
We've been recruiting him for a long time," interim head coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim said of Elee. "So we knew what he could do on the field, so to speak.
I think his growth has been more off the field. He's a lot more mature.
We put a lot - we’re talking about an 18-year-old whose whole lifestyle has shifted in a matter of months. And if you don't get that side of the equation fixed, the football is the easy part for him.
And it's more of us surrounding him, letting him know what's right and what is wrong, what's acceptable and what is not acceptable, and that ends up being - you see the results of that, of his life outside of football, as far as his character and integrity. You see that improvement, which I think showed on the field.”
In Other News...
Maryland Showed The Response Fans Needed After Its Opener Loss
After a rough season opener, the No. 20 Maryland womens basketball team got the kind of response it needed Sunday at XFINITY Center, rolling past George Mason 81-62 to move to 1-1. Oluchi Okananwa set the tone with 24 points and six rebounds, while Addi Mack and Bri McDaniel joined her in double figures as Maryland found a much steadier rhythm on both ends.
The Terps also leaned on a familiar home-court edge, turning George Mason mistakes into easy opportunities and controlling the paint to keep the Patriots at arms length. It was Marylands 28th straight home win over a non-conference opponent, a reminder that even after an early stumble, this group still has the kind of depth and pressure defense that can make life difficult for visitors once it settles in. [Read more 🡒]
Maryland Finally Ended Its Big Ten Misery With A Sudden Jolt
After 13 straight conference losses, Maryland finally found a way to stop the slide with a 34-29 win over Purdue, giving interim coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim his first victory and offering a much-needed jolt to a program that had been stuck in Big Ten frustration. The Terps did it with a defense that played with far more disruption than it had all season, while the offense showed a better second-half rhythm than it had managed in league play.
The breakthrough came with a few plays that changed the feel of the afternoon, from Zion Elee and the pass rush setting the tone to Chris Durr Jr. stretching the field in a way Maryland had not seen in a long time. For a team that had been searching for any sign of traction, the bigger question now is whether this was a one-off spark or the start of something more stable as the season moves on. [Read more 🡒]
Maryland Lands In A USC Spot That Could Change Everything
USCs Nov. 21 home game against Maryland now has a clear window and a national platform, with the matchup set for the Big Ten Network. It also gives the Terrapins a late-season trip into a setting that should carry a little extra weight, since it will be the first meeting between the programs since 2024 and comes as USC tries to finish out a demanding regular season.
The Trojans still have bigger immediate business ahead, starting with a road test at No. 4 Indiana before they return home to wrap things up. By the time Maryland arrives, USC will be deep into the stretch run, and the game will come at a moment when the Trojans quarterback situation and postseason picture are both likely to be under close watch. [Read more 🡒]