ELON – Leading up to the start of the 2025 Elon football season, we will take a look at each position ahead of Elon's first game against Duke on Aug. 28. Our next defensive look will be the linebackers coached by defensive coordinator
Casey Vance. This preseason report is presented by Courtyard Marriot.
Next man up.
With a history of great linebackers, the Phoenix returns with another talented core in 2025 after a pair of transfer portal departures.
Leading the group this camp has been the pair of Asher Cunningham – a redshirt sophomore who has become a leader in the linebacker room and on the defensive unit despite only eight career games played – and Brodie Carroll, a transfer from Shepherd who was the PSAC Rookie of the Year
as a redshirt freshman in 2024
. It's a combination on paper that shouldn't work, but with less than 10 days before Elon's opener in Durham, it has.
Cunningham returns for his third season with Elon after redshirting his first year
in 2023. He was thrown into action last season after a pair of injuries to Brandon Tyson and Marco Patierno.
"(Nick) Veloz, Marco (Patierno) and Brandon Tyson, those were really big influences in how I play today," Cunningham said. "They mentored me the past couple of years and trying to come in and fill their spots meant a lot to me. It showed me that I had a lot to grow on, but at the same time, I had a lot to show on the field as well."
In just four starts last season, Cunningham was all over the field and proved to be a player that could make plays in the backfield or make them in pass coverage. He recorded five or more tackles in three straight games while throwing in a pair of tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup.
"He's stepped up in a leadership role in not only the linebacker room but really with the entire defense," Vance said. "He got thrown into the fire last season, it paid dividends and he is playing at a high level right now."
"Learning from Asher, how he does things, how he works, has been huge," Carroll said. "We've been hanging out a lot, eating a lot, and doing anything we can to build that bond. So, I know that when we go out there, it doesn't matter what the play call is we know we're on the same page."
Carroll, a Gainesville, Virginia native, spent the previous two seasons at Shepherd, redshirting in 2023 before making an instant impact as PSAC Freshman of the Year last fall when he totaled 52 tackles, seven tackles for loss and two sacks for the Rams.
"He's a fun one to coach and wants to get better constantly," Vance said. "Mentally and physically, he does everything you want him to do, and he gets better every practice."
Apart from Cunningham and Carroll the room features veterans and younger players making a name. Carter Wyatt, who transferred from Duke as a
graduate, brings a
level of experience having played in a pair of games for the Blue Devils last season.
Jayson Singer joins the Phoenix after a standout career as a lacrosse player at Cornell where he was named the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year in 2025 and led Cornell to the National Championship.
Linebacker Personnel:
