Elon Football Inks Eight During February Signing Day

ELON, N.C. – Elon University football added eight members to its 2019 class on Wednesday, Feb. 6, to bring its list of athletes who have signed National Letters of Intent with the program to 19.

Half of the class is made up of local talent from the state of North Carolina with athletes also coming from Florida, Georgia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Adding to the 11 that joined the program during the December signing period, the Phoenix picked up letters of intent from three defensive linemen, one linebacker transfer from Cincinnati, a tight end, a wide receiver, a defensive back and a long snapper.

“Overall, this is a class that fits specific positional needs, as well as helping us improve the overall size and speed of our football program. Nobody complains about having too much size and speed,” said Elon head coach Tony Trisciani. “Our staff did an amazing job through the transition to hold our early signing period class together and then to go out and quickly evaluate and develop relationships with the talented group of individuals we’ve signed Wednesday.”

Marvion Field
Defensive Lineman | 6-2 | 290
Hampton, Ga. | Jireh Preparatory Academy
Notes
-A defensive lineman from Westlake High School for head coach Kareen Reed.
-Earned All-Region honors as a junior and senior and was named a Blue Grey All-American after his senior season.
-Played one season at Jireh Prep for head coach Ryan Williams. Finished with 72 tackles with 9.0 for loss and 1.0 sacks.
-Father, Marlon, played football at Alabama A&M and sister, Maya, played softball at Paine College.

Marvin Pearson
Defensive Lineman | 6-3 | 243
Asheville, N.C. | Asheville
Notes
-A defensive end from Asheville High School for head coach David Burdette.
-Finished with 73 tackles, 35 quarterback pressures, 14 tackles for loss, seven sacks, two forced fumbles and two PAT blocks.
-Earned All-Conference honors as a junior and senior, also picking up All-Western North Carolina First Team Defensive End honors and Second Team Tight end honors while being named the team’s Defensive MVP.
-Also participated in baseball, track & field and basketball.

Luis Duarte
Defensive Lineman | 6-5 | 360
Greensboro, N.C. | Dudley
Notes
-A nose guard from Dudley High School for head coach Steven Davis.
-Helped the team to a 10-4 record as a senior.
-Made 65 tackles with 23 for loss to go with 17 quarterback hurries and 3.0 sacks during the 2018 season.

From the Coach’s Desk: “We were able to add both size and athleticism to our defensive line with this signing class. We will be losing three veteran defensive ends after the 2019 season and we wanted to stay ahead of the curve and develop some young talent. Luis Duarte is a guy that has been on our radar at Dudley in Greensboro, where they have been producing some great players on the defensive line year in and year out and there is a lot of athleticism in this big guy. Marvion Field is another late bloomer who completed a postgraduate year at Jireh Prep in Charlotte. He is a big interior defensive lineman who could play both end and nose guard for us. Marvin Pearson is an athletic two-way player who had multiple offers as a tight end and defensive end and has the athleticism to be a dynamic pass rusher for us early in his career.”

Ty Sponseller
Linebacker | 6-3 | 220
Cincinnati, Ohio | Cincinnati
Notes
-Transferring to Elon from Cincinnati after three years as a member of the Bearcats program.
-Saw action in all 13 games in 2018 as a redshirt sophomore, recording a season high four tackles and 0.5 sacks against Navy. Also had one sack against East Carolina.
-Brother, J.P., is committed to play baseball at Elon in 2020. Another brother, Lee, played baseball at Coastal Carolina after transferring from Ohio Dominican.
-Played high school football at Mason High School for head coach Brian Castner.
-Was a three-star prospect out of high school and played safety at Mason.

From the Coach’s Desk: “Ty Sponseller was a reserve linebacker and special teams guy who played in all 13 games for a Cincinnati Bearcats defense that led the AAC in total defense and scoring defense. He was a hard-hitting safety in high school who transitioned to linebacker at Cincinnati and has the length and athleticism to be a productive linebacker in our 3-3-5 scheme. Ty will be a great addition to our linebacker group that returns six individuals who played significant snaps for us last season, including three talented true freshmen and a fifth-year senior.”

Caleb Ogunmola
Wide Receiver | 5-10 | 186
Charlotte, N.C. | Providence
Notes
-A wide receiver from Providence High School for head coach Brad Bowles.
-Earned First Team All-Conference honors as a junior and senior. Also took home First Team All-Conference honors as a defensive back as a senior and was named a WSOC-TV Big 22 Selection in 2018.
-Finished his senior season with 913 receiving yards and nine touchdowns while intercepting three passes on defense.
-Checked in with a 116.64 SPARQ rating and a 4.45 40-yard dash time at The Opening in Charlotte.

Tre’von Jones
Defensive Back | 6-0 | 180
Warrenton, N.C. | Trinity Christian
Notes
-A defensive back from Trinity Christian High School for head coach Chuck Webster.
-Helped Trinity Christian to states and earned First Team All-Purpose and Conference Player of the Year as both a junior and senior after earning All-Conference accolades as a sophomore in 2016.
-Also a quarterback in high school, he was responsible for 20 touchdowns as a senior in 2018 after scoring 39 as a junior in 2017.
-Also participated in basketball, baseball and track & field at Trinity Christian.

From the Coach’s Desk: “We are adding more speed to this class with the additions of Caleb Ogunmola and Tre’von Jones. They are talented two-way players that have both long speed and short area quickness. Caleb is a legitimate vertical threat that will be a great addition to our talented group of wide receivers. He ran a 4.45 40-yard dash and had a 40-inch vertical jump and we’re excited to get him on campus. Tre’von is an electric player with the ball in his hands, and he’s a very competitive defensive player. He had limited defensive film as a junior, but he played corner for us at our summer prospect camp and his raw athleticism projects well with his speed, length and toughness. I like recruiting athletic quarterbacks to play in our secondary because they typically bring a strong football IQ and the ability to communicate well with everyone on the field.”

Trey West
Tight End | 6-2 | 205
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. | Saint Thomas Aquinas
Notes
-A tight end from Saint Thomas Aquinas High School for head coach Roger Harriott.
-Helped Saint Thomas Aquinas to the state championship as a sophomore in 2016 and to the state title game in as a senior in 2018.
-Is the son of Libby West, who is in the Assumption College Hall of Fame for her time as a tennis player.
-Also participated in basketball and track & field at Saint Thomas Aquinas.
-Full name is Michael Trey West.

From the Coach’s Desk: “Trey West is a hybrid wide receiver, tight end and H back from a very successful St. Thomas Aquinas program in Florida. He is undersized to put his hand in the dirt and play tight end, but he brings some position flexibility to our tight end room.”

Ryan Wilkins
Long Snapper | 6-0 | 180
Blairsville, Pa. | Blairsville-Saltsburg
Notes
-A long snapper from Blairsville-Saltsburg School District for head coach Rick Artley.
-Helped the special teams unit lead the conference in yards per punt as a senior in 2018.
-Also played linebacker and tight end in high school, leading the conference in average yards per catch as a sophomore in 2016.
-Posted a 4.5-star Kohl’s camp rating and placed 11th nationally at the Kohl’s Senior Challenge.

From the Coach’s Desk: “Ryan Wilkins is a key addition to our special teams unit. It’s important to have a long snapper that can get the ball back consistently with velocity and accuracy, as well as provide coverage. It’s not an easy job description, and the best long snappers tend to remain under the radar as they do their job. Ryan is highly ranked nationally as a long snapper while still playing linebacker and tight end in high school.”

Season tickets for the 2019 season are on sale now though the Elon Ticket Office. To purchase tickets, order online by clicking here or contact the Ticket Office at 336-278-6750. Fans can also purchase season tickets in person by stopping by the Elon Ticket Office, which is located at Gate A of Schar Center. Season parking passes for the 2019 campaign will be on sale to Phoenix Club members at the Maroon & Gold ($250) giving level and above at a later date.