Richmond, Va. – Four members of the Elon football team have been named to the CAA Football All-Conference Teams, as announced Tuesday afternoon. Wide receiver
Jackson Parham and safety
Cole Coleman were named to the first team, quarterback
Davis Cheek earned second team honors, and cornerback
Tre'Von Jones was named to the third team. Cheek was also named the league's winner of the prestigious Chuck Boone Leadership and Excellence Award (full release
HERE).
Elon football went 6-5 overall and posted a 5-3 mark in CAA Football, good for sole possession of third place in the final league standings. The Phoenix were predicted to finish 12
th in the preseason poll but exceeded those expectations and beat a pair of ranked teams along the way – then No. 22/21 Richmond and then No. 25 Rhode Island.
Parham was named first team All-CAA after leading Elon with 57 receptions for 820 yards. He ranked third in the CAA in both statistics. He caught 10 passes for 106 yards against William & Mary and added a career-best 122 receptions, on six catches, in a win over New Hampshire. Parham made his presence felt immediately, opening the season with seven catches for 99 yards against Wofford and had 91 yards receiving in the team's win over No. 25 Rhode Island to end the campaign. Parham had at least two catches in every contest during the 2021 season.
Coleman was a major factor in Elon's #MayhemDefense performance throughout 2021. He finished with a team-best 71 tackles, adding 4.0 for loss and a sack against New Hampshire. His was a big-play maker with three forced fumbles and an interception. Coleman also had a blocked kick against William & Mary and ended the year with three pass break-ups. Coleman had a season-best 10 tackles against William & Mary and had six or more eight times. He had 1.5 tackles for loss in a win at Maine.
Cheek had one of the greatest seasons for a quarterback in Elon history and has been named a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, given to the nation's top offensive player at the FCS level. He finished 253-of-397 passing for 2,924 yards, ending with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions. He never threw more than one interception in a game and was responsible for at least three touchdowns (passing/rushing) in a game four times. He threw for at least 300 yards four times as well.
Jones finished with 53 tackles and 5.0 tackles for loss during the 2021 season. He had two interceptions and two fumbles recovered, along with three pass break-ups. In a win at Campbell, Jones recorded a season-high nine tackles, a sack, a fumble recovery and an interception that he returned 27 yards. He also had an interception and 2.0 tackles for loss in a 20-7 win at then No. 22/21 Richmond.
