ELON — Having to replace three starters from one of the most productive defensive linemen in program history is no easy task for the Elon defensive line. It leaves a combination of returning experience and emerging young talent to shape the group in 2026.
 
Graduate student Dillon Pardue provides the foundation.
 
Pardue started all 11 games he played at defensive end in 2025, recording 29 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. He also added four quarterback hurries and recovered a fumble. His season included a sack and fumble recovery at Duke, along with a career-high seven tackles against Rhode Island.
 
"(Dillon) Pardue being a former walk-on and coming up through the ranks, he's seen a lot and heard a lot," first-year defensive line coach J.B. Lageman said. "He's heard the messages that Coach (Tony) Trisciani has presented to him for years now and he helps carry the banner for what we're trying to do as a unit."
 
After moving into the starting lineup last fall, Pardue enters 2026 as one of the most established players on Elon's defense. He received honorable mention preseason All-CAA recognition and was selected to Phil Steele's preseason third-team All-CAA squad.
 
The Phoenix must replace significant experience around him. Defensive tackles Parris Lowery and Jake Louro completed their careers after combining to make every start on the interior in 2025. Lowery finished the season with 33 tackles, five tackles for loss and two sacks, while Louro had 19 tackles, seven tackles for loss and three sacks. Louro, a 28-game career starter, earned honorable mention All-CAA recognition.
 
Sophomore Chaz Knox is a young player positioned for an increased role. Knox appeared in all 12 games as a freshman, totaling 13 tackles, three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. His top performance came against Hampton, when he recorded three tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack.
 
"Going from a role where you're a young guy and expected to make mistakes, to now being a starter is a completely different experience," Knox said. "I expect to have a lot bigger of a role in this defense and I think it's going to be a great year for us."
 
Elon also lost Kahmari Brown, who transferred to Iowa after a record-setting sophomore season. Brown set Elon's single-season record with 12 sacks in 2025 and finished his Phoenix career tied for first in program history with 16.5.
 
Those departures create opportunities for Nhycer Kelly and Rylan Shibley.
 
Kelly appeared in all 12 games along the defensive line last season and recorded multiple tackles against Villanova and Maine. The redshirt junior brings experience and versatility to a unit replacing three starters. Shibley played nine games and 89 snaps as a true freshman, recording his first career tackle and sack against North Carolina A&T. His continued development gives Elon another potential inside option beside Pardue.
 
Elon will not replace the departed production with one player, instead relying on the unit as a whole coupled with talented youth and veteran pieces.
 
"I think we have a group as a whole that could break out," Lageman said. "Whether they were on scout team, whether they were hurt, or they're coming back, there are a lot of names that present themselves."
 
Defensive Line Personnel
Rylan Shibley | So. | West Boylston, Mass.
Doug Quarles III | R-Fr. | Charlotte, N.C.
Trey Woods | Gr. | Milledgeville, Ga.
Dillon Pardue | Gr. | Clayton, N.C.
Bristol Biegenzahn | Fr. | Charleston, S.C.
Carson Yates | Fr. | Vero Beach, Fla.
Ryder Kilgannon | Fr. | Waxhaw, N.C.
Nick Johnson | R-Fr. | Jacksonville, N.C.
Nhycer Kelly | R-Jr. | Reidsville, N.C.
Billy O'Byrne | R-So. | Medford, N.J.
Malakahi West | R-So. | Wilmington, N.C.
Rashad Reid | R-So. | Martinsburg, W.V.
Nathan Hayes | Fr. | Roanoke, Va.
Matteo Cangialosi | Fr. | Hummelstown, Pa.
Chaz Knox | So. | Conord, N.C.
Geren Williams | Fr. | Hanover, MD.
 
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