Stanford leading receiver Elic Ayomanor named NCAA football's top Canadian

Stanford Cardinal receiver Elic Ayomanor is the 2023 Jon Cornish Trophy winner.

The six-foot-two, 210-pound sophomore from Medicine Hat, Alta., captured the honour Wednesday. The award is presented annually to the top Canadian player in NCAA football and named after former running back Jon Cornish, a native of New Westminster, B.C., who played collegiately at Kansas before embarking on a Hall of Fame career with the CFL's Calgary Stampeders.

Ayomanor was Stanford's receiving leader with 62 catches for 1,013 yards (16.3-yard average) and six touchdowns. He finished fifth in the Pac-12 for receiving yards, a heady accomplishment considering Ayomanor didn't play as a freshman after sustaining a knee injury before the '22 season.

"It's good to see your hard work being rewarded with accolades," Ayomanor said. "I don't think accolades have really mattered to me that much but obviously it's great to be recognized."

Ayomanor registered three 100-yard performances this season, his most notable outing coming in Stanford's 46-43 double-overtime win over Colorado on Oct. 13. Ayomanor had 13 catches for a school-record 294 yards and three touchdowns, all coming in the second half and overtime as the Cardinal overcame a 29-0 deficit.

Not surprisingly, Ayomanor was honoured as the FBS national performer of the week following the comeback victory.

Ayomanor secured the Jon Cornish Trophy after registering 25 points in voting by its selection committee. Memphis linebacker Geoffrey Cantin-Arku, a senior from Levis, Que., was second with 18 points, two ahead of third-place finisher Kurtis Rourke, a quarterback at Ohio from Oakville, Ont.

The other finalists:

Also receiving an honourable mention were:

An offensive player has won the Cornish