As Stanford and Cal enter their first seasons in the ACC, both programs are bringing with them an electric playmaker on offense. Stanford brings redshirt sophomore wide receiver Elic Ayomanor while Cal brings junior running back Jaydn Ott. Both players had tremendous seasons last year and will look to be the focal point of their respective teams’ offenses.
Starting with Elic Ayomanor, he is coming off a season in which he had 62 receptions for six touchdowns and 1,013 yards in 12 games played. He made quite the introduction to the college football world at Colorado in which he had 13 receptions for 294 yards and three touchdowns. Stanford came back from a 29-0 halftime deficit to win 46-43 in overtime. It was the largest comeback in school history. Ayomanor also made school history individually as his 294 receiving yards set a program single-game record. Ayomanor took over that game with his catch off Travis Hunter’s helmet stealing the show.
Against Cal, Ayomanor didn’t have his best game. He had just three receptions for 43 yards. Cal did a nice job of defending him. He’ll look to have a much bigger game the next time they face in Berkeley.
At 6’2", 210 pounds, Ayomanor has tremendous speed and an ability to make catches in traffic. He’s a really dangerous vertical threat and a nightmare for opposing defensive backs. Travis Hunter took a lot of pride in being this amazing two-way player that could stop anyone in the nation and he wound up having his lunch money taken from him when he went up against Ayomanor. And to make Hunter feel better, he wasn’t alone. All season long, Ayomanor proved to be a difficult matchup for opposing defensive backs.
Ayomanor is cut out of the same kind of cloth as former Cardinal wide receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. A big, strong receiver that is a dangerous target in the red zone. One difference between the two is Ayomanor is faster, which makes him even scarier. Aside from that, you can see a lot of similarities in terms of their body frame and ability to make catches in traffic. If you can just get the ball into their hands, good things will happen.
Switching gears to Jaydn Ott, he is coming off a season in which he had 246 carries for 1,315 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. He also had 25 receptions for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Ott played in 12 games last season including the bowl game. The lone game he missed was the home game against Idaho, which Cal won 31-17. Ott's top rushing performance came in the season opener at North Texas in which he had 188 rushing yards for two touchdowns on 20 carries to go along with one reception for 13 yards. Cal won by a final score of 58-21.
As far as against power five teams, Ott balled out against USC, rushing for 153 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries. Even though Cal lost, that was arguably his best game of the season. USC barely won by a final score of 50-49. Had Ott not performed like he did, that game wouldn’t have gone down to the wire.
Against Stanford, Ott got the better of Ayomanor and the Cardinal as he rushed for 166 yards and one touchdown on 36 carries. He also had two receptions for 22 yards. Cal won 27-15.
At 6’0”, 210 pounds, Ott has great speed and vision in the backfield. He’s incredibly agile and also runs with real force and physicality. He’s an elite rusher, he’s a threat in the receiving game, and he also has the ability to return kicks, taking one back to the house against UCLA for the full 100 yards.
“Like so many other top players, what makes Jaydn Ott such a star is his ability to change the game in a hurry,” said Matt Moreno of Rivals’ GoldenBearReport.com. “That was never more evident than with his 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in last year’s meeting with UCLA. The Bears will not be able to get the ball in his hands enough this season, and he figures to be the focal point of the offensive system being installed by new coordinator Mike Bloesch. He can be utilized in every aspect of the game on offense, and his ability to strike quickly as a runner (and sometimes as a receiver or returner) adds a dynamic to the Cal offense that is needed for success.”
Ott has done a great job of carrying on the legacy of former great Cal running backs like Marshawn Lynch and Jahvid Best. He’s taken it upon his shoulders to be the star of this Cal team and has embraced everything that comes with it. The Cal fan base all loves him right now and he in return has really loved them. He’s done a great job of engaging with them and marketing himself all while backing it up on the field.
Returning to the title of this article, it’s honestly hard to say which school is bringing the better star player to the ACC. Stanford is bringing an elite wide receiver in Elic Ayomanor who is a deep vertical threat and is capable of making plays that very few receivers are capable of making. His game against Colorado was simply sensational. He just took over. When is at his peak, I’m not sure there’s anyone better in the nation at the wide receiver position. While more soft spoken than Ott, Ayomanor has tremendous confidence in his skills and is comfortable being the focal point of the Cardinal offense.
Cal in response is bringing an elite running back in Jaydn Ott who is a true workhorse. He can carry the ball 25+ times in a game no sweat all while ripping off explosive gains. He has a great nose for the end zone and is a legit threat in the receiving and return game. He has tons of confidence and isn’t afraid to carry his team and school on his back.
In truth, it’s hard to make a fair comparison since both guys are extremely talented all while playing different positions. If I had to break the tie, I would say Ott is the more established star player. He has played two full seasons and has a better overall body of work up to this point. There’s a reason why I think more people are talking about him. He’s a guy who you can give the ball to every game and more times than not, you know he’s going to deliver. If he takes his game up a notch from what he did last season, he’s probably going to have the better season.
With Ayomanor, I think he has a higher ceiling. I just think he has better physical tools to work with. He’s bigger, faster, and is a better home run hitter as a result. If he is able to become more consistent and if Stanford is able to get him the ball enough times, he could end up having performances that eclipse anything Ott does. The question with him is will he consistently deliver? He has to go out and prove it.
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