South Carolina Nearly Flips Five-Star Edge Zion Elee in Latest Chapter of DMV Recruiting Rivalry
The recruiting tug-of-war between South Carolina and Maryland just added another chapter - and this one came down to the wire.
Zion Elee, the No. 5 overall prospect in the 2026 class and a five-star edge rusher out of St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, revealed he came very close to flipping his commitment from Maryland to South Carolina on the morning of early signing day. According to Elee, it was a near-miss.
“It was very close,” he told 247Sports.
Elee had been committed to Maryland since December 2024, but South Carolina - which has built a strong pipeline into the DMV (D.C., Maryland, Virginia) area - didn’t back off. The Gamecocks pushed hard down the stretch, and their efforts nearly paid off.
According to reports, there were people in Elee’s inner circle who were fully sold on what South Carolina was offering. That momentum, combined with Elee’s connection to Gamecocks defensive line coach Travian Robertson, made this a real possibility. Robertson was the lead recruiter for Elee, and the relationship between the two played a major role in the late drama.
Elee made an official visit to Columbia in November - while still verbally committed to Maryland - and was in attendance for South Carolina’s home game against Alabama at Williams-Brice Stadium. The visit clearly made an impression. South Carolina even sent Elee official signing day paperwork ahead of the December 3rd signing period, a sign of how serious they were about flipping him.
“What I was weighing was definitely the relationship I had with the (USC) coaches,” Elee said. “The D-line coach at South Carolina, we’re really close.
He gets to me. That was one thing that had me on the verge of flipping.
Other than that, I was pretty locked in.”
South Carolina’s DMV Footprint
Under Shane Beamer, South Carolina has prioritized the DMV - and with good reason. The Gamecocks have landed elite talent from the region, including five-star athlete Nyck Harbor and five-star defensive end Dylan Stewart, both major wins on the recruiting trail.
Elee’s recruitment was the latest high-profile battle between Beamer and Maryland head coach Mike Locksley, who’s also deeply entrenched in the DMV scene. The two programs have now gone head-to-head multiple times for some of the area’s top prospects - and the results have been anything but quiet.
Locksley’s Comments Spark Controversy
A few days after Elee’s official visit to Columbia, Locksley made waves during a local radio appearance. He claimed South Carolina had paid Elee between $5,000 and $10,000 to make the trip - a statement that raised eyebrows and stirred controversy.
“Why would I be mad for Zion to make five to 10 grand to go down to South Carolina?” Locksley said on air. “He’s been one of those guys that’s been really loyal to this area, he’s been loyal to me and the program that we’ve created.”
A South Carolina team source later refuted the claim, saying the program did not pay Elee to visit. Head coach Shane Beamer also addressed the comments publicly, calling them “really disappointing” and highlighting that Locksley’s remarks amounted to an NCAA violation.
“The only violation that was committed was him commenting on a prospective student-athlete publicly,” Beamer said. “I’m sure that Maryland’s compliance office and the NCAA are handling that the right way, and I’m sure that he’ll be held accountable for those comments.”
A History of Signing Day Drama
This isn’t the first time South Carolina and Maryland have clashed on the recruiting trail - and certainly not the first time it’s come down to the final hours.
Back in 2021, four-star linebacker Jaishawn Barham flipped from South Carolina to Maryland on signing day. Beamer, at the time, said it wasn’t a surprise, hinting that he had been tipped off about the switch.
“When you’re on the phone with a young man as late as 10:30, 11 o’clock last night and he and the mom are telling you how they’re so thankful they found a home … you feel pretty good about things,” Beamer said then. “Some strange things happened overnight. That’s a story for another day.”
Two years later, it happened again. Four-star cornerback Braydon Lee - another DMV product - flipped from South Carolina to Maryland on signing day.
Elee would’ve been a massive addition to South Carolina’s 2026 class, which finished with 15 signees and ranked No. 20 nationally. Instead, he stuck with Maryland, giving the Terps a marquee name in a class that ranked No. 43.
Maryland didn’t announce Elee as a signee until 1:08 p.m. on signing day - a sign of how long the decision lingered.
“It took some time,” Elee said. “I signed maybe around noon. There was final contract stuff, and I was really just thinking about my decision.”
Final Word
South Carolina may have come up just short in flipping Zion Elee, but their presence in the DMV continues to grow stronger. The Gamecocks are becoming a real player in one of the most talent-rich regions in the country, and this recruiting rivalry with Maryland is showing no signs of cooling down.
If anything, it’s just heating up.