Elon, N.C. – Elon University Head Football Coach Tony Trisciani has announced the hiring of Kyle Perkins and Matt Ford as assistant coaches. Perkins will coach the wide receivers, while Ford will oversee the team's tight ends.
 
"When hiring a staff member, we are looking to check the same boxes as we are in recruiting," Trisciani said. "Talent, character, and passion. Both Kyle and Matt were all-conference players and team captains at the college level and will bring these important qualities and values to our program."
 
Perkins earned a National Championship as assistant wide receivers coach at the University of Georgia in 2022. He instructed second team All-SEC wide receiver Ladd McConkey and was instrumental to an offense that ranked first in all of FBS in red zone offense and among the top five in in total offense, scoring offense and third down conversion rate.
 
Prior to his time at Georgia, Perkins was an assistant wide receivers coach at Nevada and a Bill Walsh Minority Fellowship Intern with the Arizona Cardinals. He was an assistant wide receivers coach at Oregon for the 2021 season, prior to spending three years at Wake Forest. He began as an offensive quality control coach for the 2018 season and was an assistant wide receivers coach in 2019 and 2020.
 
At Wake Forest, Perkins instructed three players – Kendall Hinton, JaQuarii Roberson and Sage Suratt, who were named All-ACC. Roberson and Suratt were named All-Americans and Suratt was a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist, given to the best wide receiver in the country.
 
Perkins spent the 2017 season as the wide receivers coach at Oberlin, following a tenure as an offensive intern at his alma mater, Notre Dame College for the 2016 season. Perkins was an all-conference wide receiver and team captain at Notre Dame College, earning a National Football Federation post-graduate scholarship.
 
"Kyle's strength has been player development and his ability to teach high-level skills at the wide receiver position," Trisciani said. "He has also worked with some of the best programs and offensive minds in football at Wake Forest, Oregon, Nevada, and Georgia. We look forward to Kyle bringing that knowledge and experience to our staff room."
 
Ford joins the Elon staff as the tight ends coach after spending the past season as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Averett, where he mentored two all-conference offensive linemen and recruited Charlotte, Raleigh and South Carolina.
 
Prior to his time at Averett, Ford spent three years at Bucknell coaching tackles and tight ends, as well as serving as the recruiting coordinator. He was the tight ends coach at his alma mater, Lehigh, for the 2018 season and coached the tight ends and fullbacks at Valparaiso in 2017. He began his coaching career in 2016 at the tight ends and fullbacks coach at Franklin and Marshall.
 
Ford was a 2015 first team All-Patriot League player and team captain at left guard for Lehigh. He started all 11 games as both a junior and senior for the Mountain Hawks.
 
"Matt is a well-rounded football coach with experience recruiting and coaching at high academic Division I programs and he brings offensive coordinator experience to our staff," Trisiciani said. "He has a strong offensive line, tight end, and special teams background that adds value to our staff and is important to the continued development of our talented tight end position group."
 
ABOUT ELON FOOTBALL
The Elon football team went 8-4 in 2022 and 6-2 in CAA Football play and is scheduled to return 11 starters in 2023 (seven on offense and four on defense). The Phoenix ended the 2022 season ranked No. 17 in the country, the program's second-highest end-of-season ranking in FCS history, and earned a bid to the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2018. Elon defeated three ranked teams during the season, including handing national seed William & Mary its only regular season defeat. The Phoenix were a perfect 5-0 at home and ended 2022 with a six-game undefeated streak inside Rhodes Stadium, the longest such unbeaten streak in the stadium's history.