Elic Ayomanor wins Jon Cornish Trophy as top Canadian player in NCAA

Photo courtesy: AP Photo/Lachlan Cunningham

Elic Ayomanor has been awarded the Jon Cornish Trophy for 2023 as the top Canadian player in NCAA football.

The six-foot-two, 210-pound receiver from Medicine Hat, Alta. made 62 catches for 1,013 yards and six touchdowns with the Stanford Cardinal this past season, ranking fifth in all of the Pac-12. His best performance of the season came against Colorado when he made 13 catches for a record-setting 294 yards and three touchdowns.

The sophomore started playing hockey at the age of seven but transitioned to football on a full-time basis only a few years later. He played at Medicine Hat High School before transferring to Peddie School in New Jersey and Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts, excelling in football and track. He garnered scholarship offers from a number of top collegiate programs, including Stanford, Notre Dame, California, Tennessee, and Ole Miss.

“Attending Stanford goes beyond an educational opportunity, it’s a life-changing opportunity that goes beyond education,” said Ayomanor in a statement. “You have to have a different type of mindset to come here. You have to be a very disciplined person to be here, and I think that translates well to (getting to) the NFL.”

Ayomanor garnered 25 votes from the selection committee, the most among the five finalists for the award. Memphis linebacker Geoffrey Cantin-Arku received 18, Ohio quarterback Kurtis Rourke received 16, Arizona tight end Tanner McLachlan received 14, and UNLV defensive back Jett Elad received five.

Five honourable mentions for the award were also selected, including Colorado State defensive lineman Nuer Gatkouth, Boise State defensive back Ty Benefield, Eastern Washington receiver Nolan Ulm, Arkansas State linebacker Melique Straker, and Illinois offensive lineman Isaiah Adams.

Previous winners of the award are listed below.

2017: QB Nathan Rourke, Ohio University, Oakville, Ont.
2018: QB Nathan Rourke, Ohio University, Oakville, Ont.
2019: RB Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State, Sherwood Park, Alta.
2020: REC John Metchie III, Alabama, Brampton, Ont.
2021: REC John Metchie III, Alabama, Brampton, Ont.
2022: RB Chase Brown, Illinois, London, Ont.