Zion Elee’s high school career is ending the way it played out all along - with dominance, accolades, and one more trophy for the shelf. The St. Frances Academy standout and Maryland signee has been named the 2025 Baltimore Sun All-Metro Player of the Year, capping off a remarkable senior season and an even more impressive rise through the high school football ranks.
Elee’s journey to the top began with a breakout junior year at Joppatowne (MD), but his senior campaign at St. Frances cemented his place among the elite.
The Panthers finished 9-1 in 2025, powered by a stifling defense that gave up just 8.7 points per game - and Elee was at the heart of it all. He racked up 72 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, four forced fumbles, and two defensive touchdowns.
And that was just on defense.
Elee’s versatility was on full display all season. He lined up at running back, returned punts and kicks, and played with the kind of explosiveness that had college coaches across the country scrambling. With a sub-4.5 40-yard dash and an 80-inch wingspan, he’s got the physical tools that jump off the tape - and the kind of football instincts that don’t show up in a stopwatch.
That combination made him one of the most sought-after recruits in the country. At one point, he was rated the No. 1 overall prospect in the nation. But while programs like Auburn, Penn State, South Carolina, and Texas made their pitches, Elee stayed firm with his commitment to Maryland - a decision he made nearly a year before signing day.
“Me and Coach Locks, we have a tight relationship,” Elee said after putting pen to paper. “Really just built from us being from the same area.
Me being able to talk to him on a different type of level because he can relate to me - it just means a lot. I stuck with who I’m close to.”
That relationship with head coach Mike Locksley proved too strong for other programs to break. And now, Elee heads to College Park on January 19 as the highest-rated signee in Maryland football history.
He’ll join a 2026 pass rush group that’s starting to look dangerous, especially after edge rusher Zahir Mathis announced on Christmas Day that he’s returning. With all eyes now on fellow edge Sidney Stewart, the Terps could be building something special on defense.
Elee wasn’t the only future Terp to earn All-Metro honors. Archbishop Spalding defensive back Sean Johnson was named to the First Team after a stellar senior season.
Johnson finished with 65 tackles, four tackles for loss, a sack, eight pass breakups, two quarterback hits, and a blocked field goal. He walks away from high school as a four-time MIAA champion - and another key piece of Maryland’s 2026 class.
Johnson also earned First Team All-Met honors from the Washington Post, alongside fellow Terps signee Zahir Cobb, a defensive back from St. Albans (DC).
Two more future Terps - wide receiver Josiah Teasley from St. James (VA) and tight end Brayden Marko from Gonzaga (DC) - were named Second Team All-Met.
Teasley will join Elee as an early enrollee in January, while Johnson, Cobb, and Marko are set to arrive in June.
Cobb’s commitment earlier this year was rooted in family ties - his father went to school with Maryland assistant Aazaar Abdul-Rahim - and it marked the Terps’ first commitment out of Gonzaga since Johnny Jordan back in 2017. Marko followed, and Teasley flipped from Virginia to Maryland to close out the 2026 cycle, giving the Terps a late boost on the offensive side.
After visiting College Park, Teasley came away impressed - not just with the facilities or the staff, but with the way the Terps run their offense.
“I was just surprised how much they threw the ball,” he said. “They weren’t really good on completing some of them but the play calling, being able to throw the ball like that, the scheme - I feel like it fits me especially and I’ll have a lot of chances to go out and make plays if you give me that many touches.”
With Elee anchoring the defense and playmakers like Teasley coming in on offense, Maryland’s 2026 class isn’t just talented - it’s balanced, deep, and full of guys who believe in the vision. And for a program looking to take the next step in the Big Ten, that belief might be the most important piece of all.