Elic Ayomanor was named the recipient of the Jon Cornish Trophy on Wednesday. The Stanford wide receiver had a breakout year in 2023 catching 62 passes for 1,013 yards and 6 touchdowns with the Cardinals. Ayomanor was 4th in receiving yards in the Pac-12 this past season.
Canada's best 🇨🇦
Elic Ayomanor has landed the coveted Jon Cornish Trophy, given to the best Canadian NCAA football player!
Ayomanor put his name into Stanford’s record books on the road against Colorado when he set a school record for most receiving yards in a game. He had 13 receptions for 294 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Buffaloes. He was instrumental in a remarkable comeback that saw Stanford win 46-43 in overtime despite trailing 29-0 at the half. He had a 97-yard touchdown in the third quarter that was almost entirely YAC. He also made a spectacular catch off an opponent’s helmet in overtime for a 30-yard touchdown.
Ayomanor is a sophomore but this was his first season of collegiate football as he suffered a torn ACL, MCL, and meniscus in practice ahead of the season opener in 2022. He was recently recognized by The Athletic being named to their First Team among freshmen and redshirt freshmen.
Ayomanor was born in Medicine Hat, Alberta, and also played hockey as a child. He dreamed of playing Division 1 college football and trying to play in the NFL. In an effort to follow his dream, he moved to the States beginning his high school football at the Peddie School in Highstown, New Jersey. He then moved to Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Massachusetts after 1 season.
Ayomanor was a top 10 recruit in Massachusetts coming out of high school and was ranked 110 by ESPN among receivers in the country. He was highly sought after by NCAA recruiters receiving offers from big-name schools such as Notre Dame, California, Tennessee, and Ole Miss. Ultimately he committed to Stanford citing its educational value.
“My mom and I talked it through regarding my goals and agreed I wanted to be able to play at a school that would give me an opportunity at the NFL,” Ayomanor said in an interview with the Toronto Sun. “However, if I got hurt or something happened where I couldn’t play football anymore I still wanted to get a very high-level education. “To me, Stanford is the best school in America to do that at. I love it here.”
Ayomanor has 3 years of NCAA eligibility left and already has a 1,000-yard season under his belt. The 6’2 210 pound receiver from Medicine Hat will be a tremendous asset to the Cardinals moving forward as Stanford transitions to the Atlantic Coast Conference beginning in 2024.
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Jonathan ClinkReporter
Jonathan Clink joined CFL News Hub in early April of 2023. His primary responsibilities are covering the BC Lions and Montreal Alouettes.
He self awarded himself the CFL Rookie Journalist of the Year in 2023 following the 2023 CFL season. He also proclaims himself to be a "really cool guy". He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba and lived a large portion of his childhood in Northwest Ontario. He currently lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan and misses being being able to have 4 months of skating every winter.
Clink has written over 240 articles for CFL News Hub. He was the publication's boots on the ground at the 2023 Grey Cup in Hamilton.
Clink has always had an obsession for sport and has a background in other sports as well having played hockey all his life and soccer, basketball, and lacrosse in high school. As a young child he used to log his hockey statistics after every game which is either an indication that he was destined for the role or perhaps and indication that he is rather strange.
