BOWEN ISLAND, British Columbia — Stanford wide receiver Elic Ayomanor was named the recipient of the 2023 Jon Cornish Trophy, Football Canada announced on Wednesday. The award is given annually to the best college football player from Canada.
A native of Medicine Hat, Alberta, Ayomanor broke out in his first season playing for the Cardinal. He compiled 1,013 yards on 62 catches to pace the Stanford offense, becoming the first receiver at Stanford with over 1,000 yards since J.J. Arcega-Whiteside in 2018.
No true freshman or redshirt freshman receiver in the NCAA recorded more yards than Ayomanor, who burst onto the scene on Oct. 13 against Colorado. In Stanford's comeback win in Boulder, Ayomanor put up a program record 294 receiving yards and three touchdowns, etching his name in the Stanford and Pac-12 record books for a variety of categories. No receiver in the country had more yards in a single game in 2023.
Ayomanor eclipsed 100 yards three times in 2023, and after his record-setting game against Colorado, finished the season with the fifth most receiving yards in the NCAA from that date on. In the Pac-12, Ayomanor ranked fourth in receiving yards, which helped him earn All-Pac-12 honorable mention following the year. In addition to his recognition from the Pac-12, Ayomanor was also named First Team Freshman All-America by The Athletic.
Given since 2017, there is no shortage of high-profile names on the list of former Jon Cornish Trophy award winners. Nathan Rourke won the award in 2017 and 2018 and is currently on the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad. Chuba Hubbard followed in 2019 before being drafted by the Carolina Panthers in 2021, where he is the starting running back. Recent Houston Texans draft pick, John Metchie III, won the trophy in 2020 and 2021, and current Cincinnati Bengals backup running back Chase Brown was named the recipient in 2022.
"I've been watching the previous award winners for a long time and I really looked up to them. I've been chasing them my whole career," mentioned Ayomanor about the list of individuals he joins to have been awarded the Jon Cornish Trophy. "It really does mean a lot to me to now be that person that the younger generations can look up to and see that their dreams are possible."
Ayomanor is the first player in his freshman season to be awarded the Jon Cornish Trophy, in addition to becoming the first player from the Pac-12 to earn top honors from Football Canada.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
2017: Nathan Rourke, So., QB, Ohio/Oakville, Ontario
2018: Nathan Rourke, Jr., QB, Ohio/Oakville, Ontario
2019: Chuba Hubbard, So., RB, Oklahoma State/Sherwood Park, AB
2020: John Metchie III, So., WR, Alabama/Brampton, Ontario
2021: John Metchie III, Jr., WR, Alabama/Brampton, Ontario
2022: Chase Brown, Jr., RB, Illinois/London, Ontario
ABOUT THE CORNISH TROPHY
The Jon Cornish Trophy is awarded annually to the Canadian student-athlete selected as the most outstanding player in NCAA Football. The winner is chosen by voters consisting of the trustees of the award and panelists from the TSN Krown Gridiron Nation TV program.
The award is named after Jon Cornish, a former high school football player from British Columbia, a college standout running back at the University of Kansas. Cornish later went on to win three Most Outstanding Canadian awards and a 2013 Most Outstanding Player award in the CFL as a member of the Calgary Stampeders. His 2013 season was capped off by winning the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's top athlete.
The award has been presented since 2017. The trophy is presented at and in conjunction with the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in Hamilton, Ontario. The permanent Jon Cornish Trophy is displayed in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame lobby. The trophy was designed and donated by patrons L. David Dube and Jim Mullin in 2018.
ABOUT FOOTBALL CANADA
Established in 1880 and reconstituted in 1884, Football Canada is the national governing body of amateur football in Canada and a proud member of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF). Working closely with the provincial football associations, we develop programs and resources for players, coaches, and officials in the three disciplines of Tackle, Flag, and Touch Football. Football Canada's vision statement is "from playground to stadium," where players can participate in the game of football throughout a lifetime recreationally, competitively, and internationally.