Elon, N.C. – Junior defensive back Cole Coleman has been named the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Football Defensive Player of the Week after leading Elon to a 20-7 victory over No. 22 Richmond on the road Saturday. It is Coleman's second career CAA Football Defensive Player of the Week award, earning the honor after posting 17 tackles against Davidson during the 2021 spring season.
 
Saturday at Richmond, Coleman and the defense shut out Richmond over the final 50 minutes to get the program's tenth victory over a ranked opponent since 2016. Coleman had eight tackles, one for loss and a pass break-up in the victory. With the Spiders attempting to rally, Richmond closed the game by driving inside the Elon 10-yard line on its final three possessions. Coleman had seven of his eight tackles during those drives, keeping Richmond scoreless on all three possessions.
 
With the win, Elon improved to 2-3 on the season and moved to 1-1 in CAA Football play. Coleman, who is tied for the team lead with 32 tackles on the season, and the Elon Phoenix will be back on the road Saturday to take on Maine at 12:00 p.m.