Elon, N.C. – Elon Football Head Coach Tony Trisciani has announced the addition of three transfers for the 2023 football season. All three will be immediately eligible to compete for the Phoenix in the fall.
 
Quarterback Matthew Downing (Alpharetta, Ga. / Alpharetta HS), wide receiver Onuma Dieke (Riverdale, Ga. / North Clayton HS), and punter Kyle Romenick (Fort Mill, S.C. / Fort Mill HS) have all committed to Elon. Downing has one season of eligibility remaining, while Dieke and Romenick each have two.
 
Downing began his career at Georgia in 2018, playing in four games for the Bulldogs as a true freshman. He was 8-of-10 passing for 88 yards in limited time behind future NFL quarterbacks Jake Fromm and Justin Fields. After redshirting in 2019, Downing transferred to TCU where he played in seven games throughout the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He made his first collegiate start in the 2020 season opener against Iowa State, completing 11-of-21 passes for 157 yards and a 37-yard touchdown. He went on to complete 56.7 percent of his passes in 2020 and then played three more games in 2021. Downing was a two-time first team Academic All-Big 12 player.
 
Following the 2021 season, Downing transferred to Louisiana Tech. He completed 53 percent of his passes a year ago, going 20-of-35 for 194 yards at Missouri and 12-of-24 for 159 yards and two touchdowns against Rice.
 
Dieke played in all four UMass games as a true freshman during the shortened COVID-19 season of 2020, picking up one reception for nine yards. He increased his production as a sophomore in 2021, tallying 14 catches for 130 yards, appearing in all 12 games and starting the final eight contests. In 2022, Dieke saw action in seven games, posting a catch against New Mexico State.
 
Romenick redshirted the 2019 season as a true freshman and then averaged 40.3 yards on 29 punts during the 2020 COVID-19 campaign. He had a season-best 58-yard punt and dropped 10 inside the opponent's 20-yard line. A 2021 Academic All-MAC selection, Romenick appeared in all 12 games for the Zips as the team's holder on kicks. He played in four games in 2022.
 
The Elon Football team went 8-4 in 2022 and 6-2 in CAA Football play, ending the season ranked No. 17 in the country. The team earned a bid to the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2018 and defeated three ranked teams during the regular season, including handing William & Mary its only loss of the regular season. Elon went a perfect 5-0 at home and ended 2022 with a six-game home unbeaten streak, the longest in Rhodes Stadium history.