Penn State is losing the top edge rusher in the country to the 2025 NFL Draft. While Abdul Carter cannot be replaced, James Franklin is embarking on a recruiting campaign. According to 247Sports, Zion Elee is the top-rated high school edge rusher in the 2026 class, with a composite ranking of No. 2. The Baltimore native, a top-15 talent in the class and a five-star recruit, has committed to Maryland, but he paid a visit to Happy Valley this week.
Elee spent the weekend down south in Auburn. Then, on Tuesday, he shared a photo with Franklin as the Nittany Lions attempt to pry him away from Mike Locksley and his home-state Terrapins. His pledge does not appear to be firm, and if he is going to flip, Franklin must be certain it is to Penn State.
Franklin has gone all-in this offseason, hiring defensive coordinator Jim Knowles from Ohio State and retaining draft-eligible stars Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton, and Kaytron Allen, among others, but there is still a focus on the future with a nine-player 2026 class ranked fourth in the country. Elee would rapidly become the focal point and might become the cornerstone of Knowles’ defence in Happy Valley.
Elee should be the top high school prospect on Penn State’s recruitment board in 2026, given his background and ties to a nearby location where Franklin excels at recruiting.
Carter was not Penn State’s only first-round edge rusher in recent years. Chop Robinson was a first-round pick last offseason, but Carter was the most dominant defensive end the Nittany Lions have had since Courtney Brown, the first overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. Carter, on the other hand, was not a prototypical edge player and had to convert to the position after two seasons as an off-ball linebacker. Elee will be ready to go after the quarterback on day one.
Elee, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 220 pounds, is quick off the edge, with long arms, decent hand usage, and a variety of routes to the quarterback. When former five-star Dani Dennis-Sutton, one of Penn State’s most important draft-eligible returners for 2025, leaves for the pros after next season, Elee could be ready to step right into a starting role if Franklin and defensive line coach Deion Barnes can move him from College Park to University Park.
Elee also visited Happy Valley in November and has 35 offers, including from Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Oregon, and Ohio State.
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