BALTIMORE, Md. – Elon University football had two student-athletes – Jaylan Thomas and Matt Foster – named to the Preseason All-CAA Football team on Tuesday, July 23. The announcement, made at Media Day festivities at M&T Bank Stadium – home of the Baltimore Ravens – also included the predicted order of finish in which Elon has been picked to finish fourth in the league.
 
In addition to Thomas and Foster's selections, Davis Cheek and Greg Liggs, Jr., were both named honorable mention selections.
 
Thomas, the league's 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year, earns the honor after rushing for a team-best 761 yards on 115 carries across eight games. Finding the end zone four times on the ground, he averaged 95.1 yards per game to finish second in CAA Football. His standout performance came in a homecoming victory over Rhode Island in which he ran 18 times for 222 yards with a score, marking the ninth-most rushing yards in a game in school history. He also wrote his name on the team's longest rushes list with an 86-yard touchdown carry to check in with the fifth-longest rush in Elon football history.
 
Foster started all 11 games at tight end and played a key role in all facets of Elon's offensive attack. He closed the year with 17 receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown, but also played a big role in blocking for Elon's rushing attack that averaged 199.5 yards per game to place second-best in CAA Football.
 
Cheek enters 2019 after missing the final five games of the season due to a knee injury suffered in Elon's road game at Delaware on Oct. 13. Before the injury, Cheek completed 79 of his 120 passes to hit on 65.8 percent of his attempts for 1,018 yards and four touchdowns. After being intercepted twice on tipped balls in the season-opener at USF, Cheek didn't turn the ball over again in the ensuing five games while helping Elon race out to a 4-1 start before suffering his knee injury in the first quarter of Elon's outing against the Blue Hens.
 
A Second Team All-CAA Football honoree in 2018, Liggs returns as one of the leaders of the Elon defense in 2019 after starting all 11 games and making 65 tackles from his spot at defensive back. He tied for the team high with four interceptions and tied for fifth in Elon's FCS history with nine passes broken up while finishing third in the league with 13 passes defended.
 
The league's coaches and sports information directors selected Elon to finish fourth, the highest preseason selection since joining CAA Football ahead of the 2014 season. The Phoenix earned 164 total points. James Madison garnered 20 first-place votes and was picked to win the league. Towson checked in at second while earning three first-place votes and 2018 regular-season champion Maine placed third with one first-place vote.
 
Led by first-year head coach Tony Trisciani, the 2019 squad is hunting for its third-straight playoff appearance after reaching back-to-back FCS Playoffs for the first time in program history in 2017 and 2018. Over the course of the last two seasons, Elon has defeated six nationally-ranked teams, including the program's first-ever victory over a top-five foe when it beat No. 2 James Madison on the road on Oct. 6.

Season tickets for the 2019 campaign are on sale now though the Elon Ticket Office. To purchase tickets, order online by clicking here or contact the Ticket Office at 336-278-6750. Fans can also purchase season tickets in person by stopping by the Elon Ticket Office, which is located at Gate A of Schar Center. Season parking passes for the 2019 campaign are on sale to Phoenix Club members at the Maroon & Gold ($250) giving level and above. Parking passes can be purchased by clicking here by July 31.
 
2019 CAA Football Preseason All-Conference Team
Offense
Tom Flacco – QB, Towson
Shane Simpson – RB, Towson
Jaylan Thomas – RB, Elon
Tyler Crist – FB, William & Mary
Earnest Edwards – WR, Maine
Shane Leatherbury – WR, Towson
Aaron Parker – WR, Rhode Island
Matt Foster – TE, Elon
Liam Dobson – OL, Maine
Mario Farinella – OL, Delaware
Liam Fornadel – OL, James Madison
Kyle Murphy – OL, Rhode Island
Kyle Nunez – OL, Stony Brook
 
Defense
Ron'Dell Carter – DL, James Madison
Maurice Jackson – DL, Richmond
Sam Kamara – DL, Stony Brook
Kayon Whitaker – DL, Maine
Robert Heyward – LB, Towson
Dimitri Holloway – LB, James Madison
Taji Lowe – LB, Maine
Deshawn Stevens – LB, Maine
Pop Lacey – S, New Hampshire
Isaiah Laster – S, William & Mary
Adam Smith – S, James Madison
Manny Patterson – CB, Maine
Rashad Robinson – CB, James Madison
 
Special Teams
Earnest Edwards – KR, Maine
D'Angelo Amos – PR, James Madison
Aidan O'Neill – PK, Towson
Nick Pritchard – P, Delaware
Isaiah White – Specialist, Stony Brook
 
CAA FOOTBALL PRESEASON OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Tom Flacco, QB, Towson
CAA FOOTBALL PRESEASON DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Maurice Jackson, DL, Richmond
 
Honorable mention: Davis Cheek, QB, Elon; Chris Ferguson, QB, Maine; Dejoun Lee, RB, Delaware; Carlos Washington, RB, New Hampshire; Joey Kenny, FB, Rhode Island; Owen Tyler, FB, Delaware; Jabari Allen, WR, Towson; Dev Holmes, WR, UAlbany; Simon Bengelis, TE, Villanova; Aaron Grzymkowski, OL, Towson; Mac Patrick, OL, James Madison; Mark Williamson, OL, William & Mary; Bryce Carter, DL, Towson; John Daka, DL, James Madison; Brandon Ginnetti, DL, Rhode Island; Charles Mitchell, DL, Maine; Bill Murray, DL, William & Mary; Levi Metheny, LB, UAlbany; Keon Paye, LB, Towson; Drew Wiley, LB, Villanova; Augie Contressa, S, Stony Brook; Daniel Jones, S, Richmond; Corey Parker, S, William & Mary; Jaquan Amos, CB, Villanova; Gavin Heslop, CB, Stony Brook, Greg Liggs, Jr., CB, Elon; Ahmere Dorsey, KR/PR, Rhode Island; Drew Sanborn, P, New Hampshire; Eli Mencer, SPEC, UAlbany
 
Preseason Predicted Order of Finish
1. James Madison (20 first-place votes), 238
2. Towson (3 first-place votes), 217
3. Maine (1 first-place vote), 201
4. Elon, 164
5. Delaware, 162
6. Stony Brook, 151
7. New Hampshire, 109
8. Rhode Island, 104
9. Villanova, 84
10. Richmond, 62
11. William & Mary, 58
12. UAlbany, 34