ELON, N.C. – Adding eight more future student-athletes on National Signing Day Wednesday, Feb. 5, Elon University football completed its 2020 signing class with a total of 20 new additions.
 
"I'm really excited about this recruiting class," said head coach Tony Trisciani. "Our staff did a great job on the road identifying players with talent, character and passion for the game of football. I'm proud that we have added eight players from the state of North Carolina and that all of our high school signees came from winning programs that competed in the playoffs.
 
"We addressed our needs at all three levels on defense with two high-motor and disruptive defensive linemen, three athletic linebackers and two defensive backs with good length, speed and coverage skills. Offensively, we added a big, strong inside lineman and an experienced junior college tackle along with two tight ends, an athletic quarterback, an outside wide receiver and two dynamic running backs with legitimate speed. And on special teams, we added some depth with two long snappers and an All-State kicker and punter."
 
Breaking the class down, eight of the 20 athletes hail from the state of North Carolina with five more coming from Virginia. Seven other states are represented with one athlete apiece coming from Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Florida.
 
For more on the entire class and more information about each individual player, click here.
 
With National Signing Day in the books, season tickets for the 2020 football season are on sale now and start at just $40 to see the Phoenix all year long at Rhodes Stadium. For more information about season tickets, click here.
 
February Signees
Arthur Nwandu
Tight End | 6-4 | 235 | Marietta, Ga. | Kell
-Played tight end at Kell High School for head coach Brett Sloan.
-Earned All-County honorable mention and was honored as the team's most improved player as a senior.
-Finished his senior year with four touchdown receptions.
-Also competed in track & field at Kell.
 
Julian Bumper
Running Back/Wide Receiver | 5-11 | 185 | Marietta, Ga. | Walton
-A running back and wide receiver out of Walton High School for head coach Daniel Brunner.
-Was named an All-Region honoree and an All-County honorable mention while serving as a team captain.
-Led the team in yards per carry and yards per catch as a senior.
-Both parents, Maria and Monty, went to Elon from 1991-95.
 
Donovan Williams
Tight End | 6-4 | 245 | Dumfries, Va. | CD Hylton (UConn)
-Transferring to Elon from UConn and is eligible to play immediately as a graduate transfer.
-Switched from quarterback to wide receiver ahead of 2017 and to tight end ahead of the 2018 season.
-Appeared in 31 games for the Huskies on offense. Played in all 12 games as a sophomore and junior and appeared in four games as a senior in 2019 on the way to exercising his redshirt season.
-Was a dual-threat quarterback in high school at CD Hylton in Virginia for head coach Tony Lilly.
-As a senior, passed for 1,343 yards and 18 touchdowns while rushing for 785 yards and nine touchdowns while being named a First Team All-Conference honoree.
 
Noah Turner
Long Snapper | 6-0 | 225 | Elon, N.C. | Western Alamance (Wake Forest)
-Transferring to Elon from Wake Forest.
-Helped the Western Alamance Warriors to a conference championship and the state semifinals in 2017 as a team captain.
-Played on teams that went 34-6 during his final three varsity seasons for head coach Jeff Snuffer.
- Participated in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas
-Was a two-time all-region and All-State selection and was rated as the No. 3 long snapper in the nation coming out of high school with the Class of 2018.
 
Simeon Phillips
Defensive Lineman | 6-0 | 300 | West Palm Beach, Fla. | Oxbridge Academy (Liberty)
-A defensive tackle that played high school football at Oxbridge Academy for head coach Doug Socha before going to Liberty.
-Earned First Team All-County as a senior and Second Team All-County as a freshman.
-Was selected to the Florida vs. Georgia All-Star Game featuring the Top 50 players from the two states.
-Also participated in track & field at Oxbridge.
-Is cousins with former NC State and NFL standout defensive end Mario Williams.
 
Will McCoy
Long Snapper | 6-2 | 225 | Charlotte, N.C. | Providence
-A long snapper out of Providence High School for head coach Weslee Ward.
-Rated a 4.5-star long snapper and was ranked in the Top 25 percent in the nation for snapping.
-Also competed in discus with the track & field team at Providence.
 
Zander Tonkin
Punter/Kicker | 6-1 | 180 | Knoxville, Tenn. | Christian Academy of Knoxville
-Was a kicker and punter for Christian Academy of Knoxville for head coach Travis Mozingo.
-Earned First Team All-State and All-Region while being picked as a Third Team Punter as a senior after earning All-Region Specialists honors as a sophomore.
-Hit 24 field goals and 54 PATs throughout his career, hitting a career-long 51-yard field goal along the way.
-Father, Dusty, played soccer and Elon and grandfather, Buff, played football at Elon.
-Comes from a long line of Elon graduates and is the third generation of Tonkins to attend Elon following both of his parents, April and Dusty, multiple grandparents and other family members.
 
Nick Veloz
Linebacker | 6-0 | 215 | Los Angeles, Calif. | Cathedral
-A linebacker from Cathedral High School for head coach Anthony Jefferson.
-Was named All-Division and made the All-CIF South Team as a senior after leading the division in tackles and was named the Angelus League MVP as a senior and earned First Team Angelus League as a junior.
-Finished his high school career with more than 180 tackles, three forced fumbles, four interceptions, 11 sacks and more than 20 tackles for loss.
 
"We have a talented football team returning and we redshirted 13 of our scholarship freshmen last fall," Trisciani said. "This class adds size, speed and athleticism to our team and addressed some critical needs. Four of our signees have enrolled early and will participate in spring practice, and we can't wait to get started with spring ball next month."
 
With the 2020 football schedule announced in November, Elon will next be back on the field Sept. 5 for a road matchup against The Citadel. Next season, Elon will open with two on the road at The Citadel and Duke (Sept. 12) before playing at Rhodes Stadium on Sept. 19 against Campbell. For the full schedule, click here.