Mike Locksley's firing could give Oregon a second chance to land former 5-star Zion Elee

The chaos of the college football coaching carousel has officially started. On Wednesday Morning, the Maryland Terrapins became the first Power 4 program to fire their head coach, moving on from longtime head coach Mike Locksley.

Anytime that a head coaching change is made it typically sparks an exodus via the Transfer Portal. The issue for Locksley at Maryland hasn’t been talent as he’s constantly recruited at a high level. If an exodus happens for the Terps, Oregon will certainly be one of the programs in the mix, and Dan Lanning could finally get one of the Ducks former top targets to campus.

Oregon could finally land Zion Elee after Mike Locksley’s firing

Anytime that your program loses a recruiting battle for a 5-star recruit it stings, but in this era finishing in that top group puts you in a great place if that player eventually transfers. If Zion Elee leaves Maryland, Oregon could find itself in a great position to land the former 5-star this time around.

During his recruitment coming out of High School, Zion Elee was one of the most sought after players in the country, spending a large period as the Nation's No. 1 overall recruit, before finishing ranked 6th. For a portion of Elee's recruitment, it looked like the Ducks were going to make a major splash as they were predicted to land the edge rusher.

Given the fact that Elee is currently in his freshman season at Maryland, things clearly didn't go Oregon's way. Mike Locksley did a great job of recruiting Elee, and was able to keep the 5-star recruit in state, despite the fact that nearly every school in the country was after his commitment.

Thus far, Zion Elee has lived up to the high in his true freshman season, racking up 3.5 sacks with 12 tackles, and 3 forced fumbles. Given that Maryland has trailed in most games they've played, Elee's pass rush numbers are incredibly impressive

Oregon could be in the market for edge rushers this offseason in the Transfer Portal, which could reopen the conversations with Elee. The Ducks are going to lose two of the best pass rushers in the country to the NFL in Matayo Uiagalelei and Teituim Tuioti. If both depart for the NFL, the coaching staff may be in the market for high impact players off the edge, and Elee would fit the billing.

Obviously, any chance of Oregon landing Zion Elee first starts with him actually deciding to transfer, as Maryland could quickly line up their next head coach before the Transfer Portal opens, and retain their star players. If Elee does end up transferring, the interest will be just as crazy if not crazier than his initial recruitment, given that he's off to a fast start to his college career.

Dan Lanning and the Ducks have made big splashes in the Transfer Portal on a yearly basis, and with so many veterans expected to depart this offseason, it could set Oregon up for another exciting offseason.

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