Elam grew up in Riviera Beach, Florida, and attended The Benjamin School, where he played basketball, football, and ran track.
[4][5] As a true freshman, Elam played in all 13 of the Gators' games and made five starts, recording 11 tackles, three interceptions and four additional passes broken up; he was named to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) All-Freshman Team.
[6][7][8][9] Elam entered his sophomore season on the Jim Thorpe Award watchlist and was named preseason second-team All-SEC.
[14][15] Elam marks the fourth straight defensive player the Bills have selected with a first round pick, following Gregory Rousseau in 2021.
[19] The next week, on October 16, 2022, Elam recorded his second NFL interception off Patrick Mahomes during the Bills 24-20 win against the Kansas City Chiefs.