Stanford WR Elic Ayomanor provides another solid season

Jason Burke | 5 Hours Ago

Nov 23, 2024; Berkeley, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal wide receiver Elic Ayomanor (13) warms up before the game against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Stanford Cardinal wide receiver Elic Ayomanor is one of a handful of potential NFL Draft prospects that was on The Farm this season, and one thing that stands out from his 2024 season is how much it mirrored his 2023 campaign.

Last year Ayomanor was put on the map following a 294 receiving yard game against Colorado, hauling in 13 catches and scoring three touchdowns. All of that production came after the first half. In total, he ended up with 62 catches on the year with 1,013 yards and six touchdowns. Ayomanor ranked seventh in yards in the Pac-12, with Chicago Bears wideout Rome Odunze (then with Washington) amassing 1,640 yards and leading the way.

He would have ranked third in the ACC last year behind Malik Washington (1,426) and Xavier Restrepo (1,092). Washington went to the Miami Dolphins in the sixth round of the NFL Draft.

In 2024, Ayomanor finished with 63 receptions, a one catch improvement, but his yard total for the year fell to 831. He still found the end zone six times, which makes these two stat lines remarkably consistent, with the only real difference being the yards gained. This season he ranked sixth in the ACC, with Miami's Restrepo leading the way this time with 1,127 yards. He and Ja'Corey Brooks of Louisville were the only two wide outs to gather over 1,000 yards.

While he didn't have the big game this year to highlight his season, he still had some pretty major catches that kept his name in the spotlight.

That difference in yards can be explained by the fact that Ayomanor is such a weapon for Stanford, that he was always a focal point of the opposing defense. Because of that, he wasn't permitted to go off like he did against Colorado last season, which accounts for that gap in yards.

While he had three games over 100 yards in each season, he was a bit more consistent in 2024, generally accruing somewhere between 60 and 100 yards. In 2023, he had games of 294, 122, and 146, which also left games of 11, 27, and 39, and ultimately seven games under 60 yards receiving. Both seasons resulted in a 3-9 record for the Cardinal.

The question now will be what path Ayomanor takes next. One the one hand, he could stay at Stanford and be a part of a bigger passing attack in 2025 with the emergence of Emmett Mosley V down the stretch of the season. On the other hand, if his dream is to play in the NFL, he could also declare for next year's Draft where he was recently projected to go No. 57 overall by Pro Football Network.

The other path would be to enter the transfer portal and look for a landing spot that could help showcase his abilities a bit more as a launch season into the 2026 NFL Draft.

That decision could play a big role in the direction of the Stanford football program in the immediate future.