By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
Much is expected from Elon’s football team this year, given the veteran nature of a roster with many key players from last season back for another go-around.
The Football Championship Subdivision program’s aspirations don’t have to wait until playing teams in its conference or classification.
The Phoenix is aiming to make a big splash right away.
“I’m excited to get back out there and see what this team has in store,” said cornerback Dylan Tucker, who was limited to five games combined the past two seasons because of injuries.
That quest begins with Friday night’s opener against Duke at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham.
“Our guys are definitely ready to hit a different color jersey,” Elon coach Tony Trisciani said. “We’ve just got to rely on our preparation. I feel good about where we are as a program going into this game.”
Duke has been to back-to-back bowls and yet is a program in transition. Coach Mike Elko left for Texas A&M, with Manny Diaz, previously Penn State’s defensive coordinator, hired to replace him.
So while there will be focus on the Blue Devils’ changes, the Phoenix will count on stability.
“We had a plan for preseason camp. Guys handled it,” said Trisciani, who’s entering his sixth season with a 26-25 career record. “There’s a balance in preparing them for the physicality and also taking care of their bodies and getting them to the game.”
The motivation is apparent for the Phoenix, which went 6-5 last year.
“It’s not coaches saying, ‘Hey, let’s do a little bit extra.’ It’s a lot of players saying it,” offensive lineman Kevin Burkett said. “Players are expecting a lot more this year, not just coaches.”
Burkett is one of four players on Elon’s offense with more than 30 career starts.
A key newcomer is safety Khalil Baker, a fifth-year senior who transferred from North Carolina Central after receiving All-America status last year. He joins a defensive backfield with safety Caleb Curtain, the Coastal Athletic Association’s Preseason Player of the Year.
Duke will use Maalik Murphy, a transfer from Texas, as its starting quarterback. Elon coaches have studied footage of Murphy with his former team, though scouting efforts have taken numerous angles.
“The preparation for Duke is difficult because (they’ve) got new coordinators and (they’ve) got new personnel,” Trisciani said. “We’re watching film from SMU and Texas State and Penn State, but then we’re still watching the Duke film to get a feel for their personnel.”
The teams haven’t met since Duke won 52-13 in 2014.
Trisciani said he likes Elon playing against Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the region.
“These are fun games,” he said. “Fun games for our players, too.”
And an important game.
“We want to make history in a lot of different ways,” Tucker said. “We want to win a conference championship. We want to make it past the first round (in the postseason). We set those big goals for ourselves. But as for right now, we want to beat Duke.”
Connections abound
Duke’s senior analyst for defense is Rich Skrosky, a former Elon head coach.
Skrosky was an Elon assistant coach from 2006-10 under Pete Lembo and later returned as head coach from 2014-16 before leaving to become Florida International’s offensive coordinator under ex-North Carolina coach Butch Davis.
Skrosky is in his third season at Duke.
- Before coming to Elon as its athletics director about 13 months ago, Jenn Strawley was football administrator for Miami, working alongside Duke’s new coach, Diaz. He was on the Miami football staff for six seasons, including the final three as head coach before he was fired.
- Former Elon starter Caleb Krings is listed as Duke’s starting left guard on the offensive line. He’s in his first season with the Blue Devils.
Krings, a 317-pounder, played 39 games for Elon, mostly at guard. That included 36 starting assignments (and 34 consecutive starts by the time the 2023 season ended)
He’s a May 2024 graduate of Elon with a degree in physical education. He did student teaching in the Alamance-Burlington School System.
Photos courtesy of Elon Athletics
