5-star recruit reveals he was ‘very close’ to flipping from Maryland to USC
In two recent recruiting cycles, Shane Beamer and South Carolina football have lost recruits to Maryland and coach Mike Locksley in last-minute signing day flips.
On Dec. 3, the Gamecocks nearly returned the favor.
Five-star 2026 edge rusher Zion Elee, the country’s No. 5 overall prospect, revealed to 247Sports that he was “pretty close” to flipping his commitment from Maryland to South Carolina the morning of December’s early national signing day .
“It was very close,” Elee told 247Sports’ Brian Dohn.
Elee, from St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, had committed to Maryland and Locksley in December 2024. But USC — which has a strong recruiting presence in the DMV area — kept pursuing Elee and nearly flipped his commitment.
Dohn, citing sources, reported in a Dec. 11 story that “there were members of Elee’s inner circle who loved what South Carolina was offering … and that was not good for the Terps.” Elee also raved about his relationship with South Carolina defensive ends coach Sterling Lucas, who was his primary recruiter.
Elee took an official visit to Columbia in November (while verbally committed to Maryland) for the Gamecocks’ home game against Alabama at Williams-Brice Stadium. USC’s recruiting department also mailed Elee its official signing day paperwork ahead of Dec. 3, per his Instagram story.
“What I was weighing was definitely the relationship I had with the (USC) coaches,” Elee told 247Sports. “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 success in the DMV
South Carolina and Beamer have established the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia area (better known as the DMV) as a major recruiting priority and landed a number of top prospects from the region — five-star athlete Nyck Harbor and five-star defensive end Dylan Stewart, to name a few.
Elee’s flirtation with South Carolina was another development in a long line of recruiting beefs between South Carolina and Maryland under the current leadership of Beamer (fifth season) and Locksley (eighth season).
A few days after Elee officially visited South Carolina, Locksley hinted on a local radio show that South Carolina had paid Elee $5,000 to $10,000 to take the visit and said he wasn’t worried about Elee flipping.
“Why would I be mad for Zion to make five to 10 grand to go down to South Carolina?” Locksley said on the radio. “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 team source with knowledge of Elee’s visit said Locksley’s claim was false and USC did not pay him to take a visit, The State previously reported.
Asked about Locksley’s comments a few days later, Beamer said it was “really disappointing to see a fellow head coach say that” and pointed out Locksley had committed 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, but disappointing to see that.”
History of USC vs. Maryland recruiting beef
South Carolina and Maryland have publicly sparred in the past. After four-star 2021 linebacker Jaishawn Barham flipped from USC to Maryland on national signing day, Beamer said the news wasn’t a surprise and he’d been tipped off that it was “part of the plan” for Barham to flip to the Terrapins.
“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 at the time. “... Some strange things happened overnight. That’s a story for another day.”
Two years later, four-star 2023 cornerback Braydon Lee also flipped from USC to Maryland on signing day. Barham and Lee both played prep football in the DMV.
Elee, the five-star 2026 edge rusher, would’ve been a huge addition to South Carolina’s 2026 recruiting class, which included 15 signees and ranked No. 20 nationally. With Elee as its top signee, Maryland’s 2026 class ranked No. 43.
Maryland didn’t formally announce Elee as a signee until 1:08 p.m. on signing day, as the five-star edge rusher thought long and hard about flipping.
“It took some time,” Elee told 247Sports about finally choosing Maryland over South Carolina. “I signed maybe around noon. There was final contract stuff, and I was really just thinking about my decision.”
This story was originally published December 18, 2025 at 11:34 AM.
