The majority of the top players for the Class of 2026 are already committed to their prospective programs, but as every recruiting cycle shows, not all of those pledges hold firm through National Signing Day in December. And South Carolina is hoping that five-star EDGE Zion Elee will be one of those headliners to flip.
Elee, the No. 1 overall player in the Rivals Industry Rankings, pledged to his hometown Maryland Terrapins earlier this year. Publicly, the Baltimore native has stood firmly behind the commitment, while privately, the door is slightly cracked open. Programs like South Carolina continue to press the issue, and Elee admits he only responds to three schools right not: Miami, Penn State, and South Carolina, according to Rivals' Marcus Benjamin.