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2026 5-star EDGE Zion Elee visits Tennessee

hunterby:Hunter Shelton•10/12/24•

HunterShelton_

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Zion Elee (Credit: Ryan Snyder | Blue White Illustrated)

Tennessee is welcoming a loaded list of visitors on Saturday as it prepares to take on Florida in Neyland Stadium.

One of the top names in attendance is Joppa (Md.) St. Frances Academy five-star EDGE Zion Elee, the nation’s No. 7 overall prospect in the 2026 cycle. The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder is finally taking in a game in Knoxville after moving his visit date up a week.

At the beginning of August, Elee named his top five schools, but didn’t include the Volunteers. Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State were the named finalists, though Elee clearly isn’t shutting the door on other programs just yet.

When speaking with On3’s Chad Simmons back in the summer, Elee made it clear that he’s still far away from coming to a decision and isn’t looking to flip once he comes off the board for the first time. The visits he’s taking this fall are playing a crucial role in helping him maneuver his process.

“This is not something I want to waste time with,” Elee told On3. “On these visits, I have gotten knowledge about the recruiting process and I was planning to wait and do this my senior year, but I decided to cut it down earlier and start to focus on a smaller group of schools.

I” don’t want to rush into a commitment, so I will take these visits in the fall and see how I feel,” he added. “I want to keep getting out, and when I commit, I want to be a hard commit. Committing, then decommitting is not something I want to do, so I will take my time and see how I feel.”

Plenty of talent on Rocky Top this weekend

As Tennessee looks to make a move with Elee this weekend, it’s also hosting a plethora of other top recruits, including junior five-star quarterback commit Faizon Brandon, the No. 4 overall recruit and one of two early pledges for Josh Heupel and Co. in the cycle.

“I started feeling Tennessee a while ago,” Brandon told On3 upon making his decision public. “They started recruiting me early, and the first impression they made on me was unlike any other. The staff recruited me hard from the get-go, they kept it steady with me and they pushed so hard to get me. All of that made an impact on why I picked them.”

Tennessee’s 2025 recruiting class ranks No. 8 in the nation, per the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. Multiple top commits in the senior class are also in attendance, including Five-Star Plus+ OT David Sanders Jr. and top-100 safety Lagonza Hayward. Elee will be surrounded by some of the best in the nation this weekend.