Back in August, I wrote an article about which Bay Area school was bringing a better star to the ACC: Stanford with redshirt sophomore wide receiver Elic Ayomanor or Cal with junior running back Jaydn Ott. Cal clearly had the better season by retaining The Axe against Stanford and reaching a bowl game while Stanford finished 3-9 for the fourth straight season. However, team successs and individual success aren’t the same thing. I thought it would be fun to see how the 2024 season went for both guys and which program ended up bringing the better star to the ACC.
READ: Who brings better star to ACC: Stanford (Elic Ayomanor) or Cal (Jaydn Ott)?
Starting with Ayomanor, he played in all 12 games for Stanford, totaling 63 receptions for 831 yards and six touchdowns for an average of 69.3 yards per game and 13.2 yards per reception. Considering he had 62 receptions for 1,013 yards and six touchdowns in 2023 as a redshirt freshman, his production actually took a step backwards in 2024.
Some of that was due to Stanford’s inconsistent quarterback play and some of that was also due to the emergence of true freshman wide receiver Emmett Mosley V, who in nine games played had 48 receptions for 525 yards and six touchdowns. Mosley helped to take some pressure off Ayomanor, especially down the stretch of the season and figures to be the future top receiver for the Cardinal in the coming seasons.
While he didn’t have as big of a statistical season as he was hoping to have, Ayomanor had a good enough season to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft with a good deal of confidence that he’ll be a day two selection (2nd and 3rd rounds). He has a nice blend of size and speed all while having fantastic hands. He's certainly a guy that on paper should be a nice addition to whichever team ends up drafting him.
As for Ott, he came into the season with a lot more hype than Ayomanor as there was chatter of him possibly being a Heisman Trophy candidate. Ott didn’t even come close to living up to those expectations, rushing for just 385 yards and four touchdowns on 116 carries for an average of 38.5 yards per game and 3.3 yards per carry in 10 games played. He was decently active in the receiving game with 24 receptions for 222 yards and one touchdown for an average of 9.3 yards per reception, but still, a combined 607 yards from scrimmage is nothing close to what he was hoping to accomplish in 2024.
Now, it should be noted that Ott suffered a high ankle sprain in the season opener and missed two games later on. He never was able to really kick into the gear that he wanted to from a physical standpoint. That’s always tough. Instead of leaving for the NFL, Ott will be coming back to Cal for his senior season, hoping to have a bounce back year and live up to the expectations that were set for him this season.
When looking back on the 2024 season, it’s clear that Stanford ended up being the school that brought the better star to the ACC in Elic Ayomanor. If you just look at production and NFL draft stock, Ayomanor simply had the better year. He was healthy the entire season and when the ball came to him, he did a great job of making the most of the opportunities that he got. As a result, he’s leaving for the NFL with a great opportunity to go in the 2nd or 3rd round of the draft.
Ott in contrast never really got out of the gates and in many ways had kind of a lost season with regard to his pro prospects. As it stands, Ott is looking like a guy who will either get selected in day three of the 2026 NFL Draft (Rounds 4-7) or possibly have to prove himself up north in the CFL. It'll be interesting to see how his senior year in Berkeley goes and whether or not he's able to get his draft stock to rise after it plummeted drastically this past season.
CardinalSportsReport.com on Facebook, IG, Threads, X (Twitter), & Blue Sky: @StanfordRivals
Ben Parker on Facebook, IG, Threads, X (Twitter), & Blue Sky: @slamdunk406
Email: slamdunk406@yahoo.com
Join the conversation on CardinalSportsReport.com
