There are two ways to look at the state of Elon football entering the 2026 season.
The Phoenix lost their starting quarterback, leading pass rusher, a top running back and several other key contributors from 2025 to the transfer portal, with five players landing at Power 4 programs. That’s a considerable amount of talent to replace.
And yet, expectations at Elon have rarely been higher in the FCS era. The Phoenix were picked third in the CAA preseason poll – their highest projection since joining the league – and return enough proven talent to believe a conference championship and return to the FCS playoffs are realistic goals.
Here are five things to know about Elon football entering the 2026 season, along with key players and games that could define the year.
Elon Football At A Glance
2025 Record: 6-6
2025 Conference: 4-4
2026 Season Opener: Glenville State at Elon, Thursday, Aug. 27, 7 p.m.
Head Coach: Tony Trisciani (8th year here)
Record at School: 38-37
Offensive Coordinator: Doug Martin (2nd year here)
Defensive Coordinator: Casey Vance (2nd year here)
Predicted Finish in Conference: 3rd/13 teams
Preseason All-Conference:
- Jimmyll Williams, RB
- Dylan Magazu, FB/HB
- Tim Hogan, OL
- Brodie Carroll, LB
- Tony Hart III, SAF
- Luke Barnes, PK
- Landyn Backey, WR (honorable mention)
- Dillon Pardue, DL (honorable mention)
Five Things to Know About Elon Football
1. Elon lost some big-time players to the transfer portal
The list of outgoing players after the 2025 season was pretty extensive. Several made monumental jumps to FBS Power 4 programs:
- QB Landen Clark → LSU
- DL Kahmari Brown → Iowa
- DB Brycen Scott → Louisville
- RB T.J. Thomas → Minnesota
- WR Isaiah Fuhrmann → Georgia Tech
Credit to coach Tony Trisciani and his staff for identifying top-level high school talent and bringing them into the program, even if only for a short stay.
2. The Phoenix are leaning into being a developmental program
While the transfer losses certainly hurt – imagine the group listed above running it back at Elon this season! – they haven’t caught Trisciani off guard. Mobility has become a feature in Elon’s system in this new era of college football. And the developmental aspect has become a recruiting pitch for the program:
“There’s a pathway here where instead of going to a Group of Five school, where maybe it takes a little bit longer to get on the field … if you come to Elon and you play early in your career, you gain valuable experience and development,” Trisciani said in the spring. “Those game reps are so valuable to your development … You can be a multi-year starter at Elon, have a degree in three years, and have two years to transfer up and really get paid at a P4 program … That’s a transformational experience, right?”
3. Elon has its quarterback for 2026
Elon recruited quarterback Brady Stober hard when he was tearing it up at Hickory High School, leading the Red Tornadoes to a 3A state championship in 2023 and earning Most Outstanding Player honors in the title game. Samford won Stober’s initial commitment, but Stober entered the portal in January and was on Elon’s campus in time for spring drills.
Stober essentially locked up QB1 status during the spring, giving what Phoenix coaches hope is a seamless transition at one of the game’s most important positions.
“He’s a guy who threw for over 9,000 yards in high school,” Trisciani said. “He’s got arm talent. He can process information and work through progressions. So we feel really good about that.”
4. Expectations are higher than ever before in the CAA
Elon joined the CAA Football Conference in 2014, but preseason expectations have never been higher for the program than coming into this season. CAA coaches picked the Phoenix third in the coaches poll. The team had never been slotted higher than fourth (2019), with a pair of fifth-place preseason showings in both 2023 and 2019.
Some of Elon’s rise can be attributed to conference attrition. Traditional league heavyweights like James Madison, Delaware, Richmond, William & Mary and Villanova have departed for other destinations. That has certainly opened up a pathway toward the top of the standings.
But Trisciani also has turned Elon into a consistently competitive program, and that can’t be ignored. The Phoenix have won at least six games each of the past five seasons and have not had a losing campaign since the COVID season in spring 2021. Elon is 30-22 in CAA games under Trisciani’s watch, with one playoff appearance in 2022.
5. The roster wasn’t as depleted as it might have looked at first glance
Yes, the transfer portal took roughly a dozen regular contributors, including the starting quarterback and an all-conference edge rusher. But the cupboard wasn’t left bare by any stretch.
All six players named to the CAA’s preseason all-conference team earned some form of all-conference honors last season. Linebacker Brody Carroll, placekicker Luke Barnes, defensive back Tony Hart III and offensive lineman Tim Hogan each have been named preseason All-Americans by at least one national outlet.
Elon’s third-place positioning in the CAA is certainly justified. It’s more than reasonable to consider the Phoenix a legitimate conference and FCS playoff contender heading into the season.
Players To Watch
Brady Stober, QB
The Samford transfer earned Stats Perform National Freshman of the Week honors last season, completing 34-of-43 passes for 285 yards and three TDs against VMI. He finished his first college season with 1,240 passing yards, seven passing touchdowns and two rushing scores. Replacing Landen Clark, the 2025 CAA Co-Offensive Rookie of the Year, is a tough assignment. But Elon appears to have found a strong candidate.
Brodie Carroll, LB
His flowing golden locks will make him easy to spot on the field. Expect to see the redshirt junior flying around the football a lot this season. Carroll is coming off a year where he logged 104 tackles, 9.5 tackles-for-loss and 3.5 sacks to earn second-team all-conference honors.
Luke Barnes, PK
Elon is becoming a destination school for elite special teamers, and Barnes is the latest standout to take the mantle. He has already played in 18 games with the Phoenix, making 21 field goals (career long is 50 yards). He’s perfect on 61 extra-point attempts.
Tony Hart III, DB
One of the dependable anchors of the back end of Elon’s defense picked off two passes, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble in 2025. He also finished third on the team in tackles with 82.
Tim Hogan, OL
Experience on the offensive front matters, and Hogan has that. The 6-5, 305-pound graduate student has started 19 games. He’s expected to play right guard and serve as one of the leaders of the position group.
Jimmyll Williams, RB
The former Durham Hillside and Virginia State standout initially planned to enter the transfer portal but opted to come back to Elon. He’ll be a welcome presence in the backfield after leading the Phoenix in rushing last season (673 yards).
Dylan Magazu, TE/HB
The hybrid tight end and H-back can be an X-factor type of player for the Phoenix. He can catch, he can block and he can be a pressure reliever for the quarterback if defenses stack up too much against receivers and running backs. Magazu started 12 games a year ago and caught two TD passes.
Games That Could Define The Season
Elon at Rhode Island | Saturday, Sept. 12
The Phoenix will know where they stand quickly in the CAA race, facing the reigning conference champions in their league opener. Rhode Island enters the season ranked No. 7 nationally by Stats Perform.
Elon at New Hampshire | Saturday, Oct. 3
New Hampshire was voted fourth in the CAA in the preseason, right behind the Phoenix. This will be another important measuring stick game for Elon, which is 0-4 all time on the road against the Wildcats.
Elon at Towson | Saturday, Nov. 21
Will Elon still be in the running in the conference or for an FCS playoff berth on the final weekend of the regular season? The Phoenix are 4-0 in recent meetings with Towson, including an impressive defensive shutdown of the Tigers last season (17-3 win).
Honorable Mention: Elon travels to Stanford on Oct. 17. The Phoenix played Duke tough into the second half last season. Can they make Stanford – projected to finish near the bottom of the ACC – uncomfortable?
Quotable
“We’ve earned some respect in our league, but we need to go earn the rest of it. We’re a highly motivated football team that’s really put in a tremendous amount of work over the last eight months. We’re anxious to get going.” – Elon coach Tony Trisciani during CAA Media Day in late July.
“There’s a lot of talented guys in the room. Some guys are young but everyone in the first offensive line (group) has seen in-game, real speed reps. It’s really nice this season because we have some good depth behind us who can go in and play ball when called upon,” – veteran offensive lineman Tim Hogan as quoted in an Elon preseason practice report.
“This year, going into our second year (with OC Doug Martin), I feel like we’re a lot more confident as an offense. We know what we’re doing. We know what plays we like. We know how to adjust.” – running back Jimmyll Williams during CAA Media Day.
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The Final Word
Elon has reached an interesting point as a program under coach Tony Trisciani. Losing players to LSU, Iowa, Louisville, Minnesota and Georgia Tech in one year is painful, but it’s also evidence that the Phoenix have become very good at finding and developing high school talent.
Now comes the harder part: replacing it without taking a step backward.
There is enough star-power left at Elon – and enough experience added around those guys – to believe the Phoenix can do more than simply remain competitive in 2026. Making a run at a CAA championship and a return to the FCS playoffs are legitimate goals in 2026.
As Trisciani put it at CAA Media Day, Elon has earned some respect during talking season. Now the Phoenix have to earn the rest of it on the field.
🔗 More FCS Football Coverage
- 2026 Elon football schedule
- CAA football standings
- North Carolina FCS football schedules
- Game Day Central
