‘We knew he was going to be special’: Deerfield Academy alum Elic Ayomanor set to hear his name called during 2025 NFL Draft

The Deerfield Academy football program has turned into a power under Brian Barbato, sending numerous players to compete at the Division I level.

Now, those players are starting to get looks at the highest level of football.

For the second time in four years, a Deerfield Academy alum is expected to have his name called during the NFL Draft, which begins Thursday in Green Bay and runs through the weekend.

DA alum Hunter Long was selected in the third round of the 2021 draft, and this year, former Big Green player Elic Ayomanor is next in line to be selected into the league.

Ayomanor, who plays wide receiver at Stanford, spent his final two years of high school at Deerfield, graduating in 2022. He’s expected to hear his name called at some point over next few days.

“It’s always so cool to be part of their journeys,” Barbato said. “Whether they end up in the NFL or the Ivy League, however their story goes, it’s just great to see kids from DA reach the highest levels.”

It wasn’t the easiest of journeys that led Ayomanor to the Div. I level.

Ayomanor grew up in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada and began playing football when he was 13 years old. After playing well for Team Alberta in the U16 Western Regional Challenge, he made his way to America, joining The Peddie School in New Jersey.

“I saw right away that he was a baller,” Kwame Osei, who helped train Ayomanor in Canada, told ESPN in a story that ran last month. “He was faster than the other kids, he had soft hands, jumped out of the gym. He just looked the part.

“Everything I taught him, he really soaked in, and just asked the next question,” Osei continued. “... What sets the good from the great apart is the appetite to learn more.”

After an injury that cut his season short, Ayomanor came to Deerfield to play for the Big Green. His junior season was a wash due to COVID-19, as Deerfield had to wait a year to see his talent on the field.

During his brief tenure, he was everything he was hyped up to be. Ayomanor had a big game in the season opener against Lawrence Academy, but after scoring a pair of touchdowns against Williston in the Big Green’s second game of the season, went down with a torn PCL that ended his season.

In all, he played just nine games in three years at the U.S. high school level and just over six quarters of football with DA. Still, Barbato knew the kind of talent he had, not just the physical talent but the mental makeup always pushing to be great.

“We knew he was going to be special,” Barbato said. “He did some great things and did them consistently. He’s fluid and has a skill set that he has continued to lean into, work on and develop. Deerfield is between a rock and a river and it’s a slice of heaven here. This was his studio to work and improve. He spent countless hours on the field, on the turf, with our jugs machine, playing basketball, doing all the things you need to do to get better. This didn’t happen by accident. He wants to be great. Talent is just one piece of that.”

Despite his limited time on the field, Ayomanor had plenty of interest at the college level thanks to his natural talent. A 3-star recruit, 247Sports listed Ayomanor as holding 26 offers out of high school, including from Power Four programs Stanford, Cal, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Arizona, Boston College, Duke, Iowa, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Penn State, Virginia and West Virginia.

Barbato noted that David Shaw — Stanford’s head coach at the time — wanted Ayomanor to come out to a camp to see him in person before giving him a scholarship offer.

Already holding numerous offers, Ayomanor didn’t hesitate. He went to California and played well, earning the scholarship offer. He ultimately chose to attend Stanford.

“Stanford wanted him to go to their camp and he said ‘I’ll go earn the scholarship,’” Barbato said. “Most guys would take it as an insult but he didn’t. I laugh when NFL scouts call and ask about him. I tell them if you like his measurables, just wait until you meet him and see what kind of person he is.”

After redshirting his first year due to injury, Ayomanor broke onto the scene by catching 62 passes for 1,013 yards and six touchdowns as a redshirt freshman in 2023. He became a household name after he went off for 13 catches, 294 yards and three touchdowns in a primetime victory against future Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and the Colorado Buffaloes. Stanford won the game, 46-43, in double OT after trailing 29-0 at halftime.

That performance on the national stage made him a household name in college football, though Barbato wasn’t surprised at all to see his pupil rise to the occasion.

“I would say it was such a cool, unbelievable thing to see but it was also very believable,” Barbato said. “Those who know him knew he had this in him. There was no doubt in our minds that he had greatness in him. To see it happen overnight on a national scale, it really was unbelievable but believable. He’s destined for big things.”

His numbers took a bit of a step back in 2024, as he hauled in 62 passes for 831 yards and six touchdowns on a struggling Cardinal offense. He declared for the draft as as 21-year-old redshirt sophomore.

Ayomanor measured in at 6-foot-2, 206 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine in February, running a 4.44-second 40-yard dash. He hit 38½ inches in the vertical jump and measured a 10 foot, 7 inch leap in the broad jump, showcasing the athleticism that made him a star athlete on the track growing up.

“We would show up to colleges and beforehand, coaches would ask how tall he was,” Barbato said. “It’s amazing how many guys saw him in person and were in awe. In a day and age of underdelivering, he always overdelivers. He says he’s 6-foot-2 and he’s 6-foot-2 and a bit. He says he’s going to run a 4.5 and he runs a 4.44. He just always overdelivers. You see so many kids who say they’re 6-2 and you find out they’re really 6-1. Coaches anticipate that stuff with this generation. Not Elic. He overdelivers every single time.”

Ayomanor still keeps in contact with his coaches and some faculty at Deerfield. Barbato said everyone on campus has been impressed with his mindset and professionalism.

“He could have been an Olympic-level decathlete or sprinter,” Barbato said. “He developed a friendship with the head of our history department and they still talk and swap books to read on a regular basis. He was training for the Combine and she’s telling him about a book he needs to read and he goes down to the library to read it.

“It’s humbling knowing he has this thirst for knowledge. When you talk about transitioning to the NFL, it’s those things that make him such a good choice.”

It’s those type of intangibles that Barbato said makes him such a strong NFL prospect.

“He impacted this community and my family,” Barbato said. “My kids are always talking about Elic. He set a high bar here. The touchdown catches, the big plays, they’re all important. Where these kids go and how they impact the community they’re in are more important. That’s something that Elic epitomized. The character he has, who is is in the classroom… people loved teaching him. He’s a sponge for information.”

Where will Ayomanor get selected? NFL.com has him projected to go in either the third or fourth round, while ESPN’s Mel Kiper has him as his 79th ranked player overall in the draft. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has Ayomanor as his 89th ranked player so expect him to hear his named called Friday night during the second and third round of the draft, or early on Saturday when the fourth round kicks off.

No matter where he ends up, Barbato is confident he’ll find success.

“I’d love to see him here with the Patriots,” Barbato said. “No matter where he goes, he’s going to do big things.”