A new competitor has entered the spotlight! Now, it’s not just the Big Ten programs in favor of winning the 5-star edge Zion Elee’s commitment. The No. 1 edge of the 2026 class reignited Oregon and Maryland’s expectations with his hopeful message a few weeks ago. But fast forward to the middle of November, and an SEC powerhouse suddenly shot up in favor. Can Dan Lanning and the Ducks keep up with the competition to lure this St. Frances Academy HS standout? 

On November 17, On3 Recruits posted a YouTube video of Recruit Reaction with Steve Wiltfong and Josh Newberg. As Newberg pointed out, Zion Elee was one among the five 5-star prospects in attendance at the Florida Gators vs. LSU SEC showdown. And as far as the impact that the Gators gave on Elee and the others, Wiltfong said, “One of the big reasons why the administration backed Florida at this point in the season is because on the recruiting trail, a lot of schools were negatively recruiting Florida, saying that this entire coaching staff was going to turn over despite the fact that Florida has played better in every year of the Billy Napier era.”

Getting Zion Elee on campus and winning the game is a big win in itself for Billy Napier. But the Florida Gators delivered more. They entered Saturday’s game at The Swamp against LSU as a 3.5-point underdog. But despite the disadvantageous odds, they crushed the Tigers 27-16. 

When Napier first joined the Gators in 2022, he led them to a 6-7 record, followed by an equally dismal record of 5-7 last season. Although they’re still behind their SEC rivals at 5-5 this season, this win shows that the Florida Gators are slowly but steadily improving. Napier could rewrite his fate in what’s left of the regular season—games against Ole Miss and Florida State. Until then, one upset victory alone might not be able to sway Zion Elee for good, given he’s highly sought after by the nation’s top college football team.

Oregon continues to push for Zion Elee

Among several elite CFB teams in pursuit of Zion Elee, Oregon remains the leader in the fight. Following his visit to the Maryland vs. USC game in October, the blue-chip edge said, “I would say Oregon is my leader. But then again, I’ve recently started thinking about Maryland. I recently had Maryland consideration, so I would say Maryland and Oregon are top.”

As per On3′s RPM, the 6’5, 220-pounder, whose arms are considered to “be tied for the fourth longest out of the 81 EDGE prospects taking rounds 1-3 of the last six NFL Drafts,” has an 87.4% chance to commit to Oregon. The other closest school is Maryland, with a 3.4% chance. Can Napier and the Florida Gators find a real spot among these two? We will see what goes further down with Zion Elee’s decision with National Signing Day fast approaching.