Breaking news: Five-star DE Zion Elee Schedules an Official Visit to Ohio State, Buckeyes Offer 2026 DL Damari Simeon.Read more below 👇🏽
Defensive end will be a top priority for Ohio State in the 2026 cycle.
On Thursday, a big defensive end target announced he’ll take an official visit to Columbus this summer along with five other destinations. Ohio State and Penn State, South Carolina, Auburn and Texas A&M will be chasing Maryland, the school five-star defensive end Zion Elee has been committed to since Dec. 7.
The Maryland product insists publicly his commitment to the Terrapins is intact, so the Buckeyes and other potential suitors will have to make convincing pitches to get Elee away from Mike Locksley’s squad. Per 247Sports’ composite rankings, Elee is considered the No. 4 overall prospect and top-rated edge player in the 2026 recruiting class.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound edge rusher picked up his offer from OSU last spring and visited OSU a few times, including in June for a recruiting camp to work with defensive line coach Larry Johnson.
“It was great, man,” Elee told Eleven Warriors of his OSU offer lst summer. “(Coach Johnson) offered me because he says he sees potential in me and that I remind him of Nick Bosa from my play style. He really hopes to develop me in the future.
“I think OSU is a great campus and Larry Johnson is a very good coach. I was working with him (in camp) the whole day and he really got me right for one-on-ones. The biggest thing I learned was probably about my get-off and balance. I worked on my balance in one of the individual drills and it showed in the one-on-ones.”
There isn’t a specific date set yet for Elee’s visit to OSU, but the Buckeyes should be getting another prime opportunity to flip one of the standout players in the 2026 cycle to their side from a Big Ten opponent.
Damari Simeon earns an OSU offer
Ohio State offered another promising defensive lineman in the 2026 class on Wednesday with defensive line coach Larry Johnson offering 6-foot-3, 275-pound prospect Damari Simeon.
Johnson visited Simeon last week and had a productive conversation with the standout lineman. He offered the New Jersey product a week later.
Simeon doesn’t hold a rating in the 247Sports composite as of yet, but has earned 37 Division I offers. Some of those offers include Auburn, Boston College, Cincinnati, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Last season, Simeon recorded 28 tackles, six tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, an interception and a forced fumble.
Jabari Mack, Storm Miller schedule official visits to Columbus this summer
Two other key recruiting targets also scheduled official visits to Ohio State over the past couple of days.
Four-star Louisiana prospect Jabari Mack announced he’ll be at Ohio State on May 31, giving newly promoted offensive coordinator Brian Hartline a chance to pair another top wideout in the 2026 cycle with Chris Henry Jr. Mack is considered the No. 66 prospect and No. 11 wide receiver in 2026.
Four-star Ohio linebacker Storm Miller is also slated to be in Columbus this summer, taking an official visit on June 13. Miller, ranked the No. 278 player and No. 23 linebacker in 2026, also could make a trip to OSU sometime this spring.
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