The Spring game has come and gone for FAU football and it was one to remember, as not only did the Zach Kittley offense shine under the lights in Paradise, they shined in front of one of the most attended Spring games in recent memory for FAU football.
The fans were great, but the play on the field was what gave them the energy to be loud, as Western Kentucky transfers Caden Veltkamp and Easton Messer stole the show, connecting for 2 deep touchdown passes which gave Owl nation a hopeful glimpse of what is to come next season. Although those 2 dominated the headlines with their flashy plays, the defense made plays of their own as well, forcing multiple turnovers on the day and getting contributions from both new Owls and returners alike, giving the unit some momentum heading into the offseason.
We are still a long way away from when the Owls will take on Maryland to open their season on August 30th, however the Spring game gave Owls fans an insight on the explosive plays that will come from the FAU offense, as well as the hard-nosed toughness that will come from the defense.
Below will be some takeaways from the Owls spring game, as well as quotes from FAU head Coach Zach Kittley.
Owls passing game flourishes, led by Veltkamp & multiple WRs
The big move for FAU this offseason, outside of hiring Zach Kittley, was landing former Western Kentucky quarterback Caden Veltkamp in the transfer portal, along with his go-to target, slot WR Easton Messer and in Friday night’s spring game the pairing showed exactly what they were capable of.
On the evening, Veltkamp completed 12 of 26 passes for 163 yards and 2 touchdowns, both to Messer, who hauled in 4 catches for 101 yards and the two 2 TDs, one for 59 yards and the other from 25 yards out. The two showed a strong connection over the middle, especially with RPO style plays and with them having worked together over the past few seasons, that connection was as strong as ever Friday night.
Although Veltkamp led the way, it was a successful day as a whole for the FAU pass game, as freshman QB Jordan Magwood completed 7 of 13 passes for 73 yards, Michael Valentino was 4 of 7 for 80 yards and a score and Kasen Weisman completed 4 of his 7 attempts for 38 yards. In the same note, it wasn’t just Messer who made an impact at WR, as Caleb Coombs hauled in 4 catches for 63 yards, Jabari Smith had 4 receptions for 21 yards and Buck Mitchell had 2 catches for 74 yards, most of which coming on a 67 yard deep ball from Valentino.
A lot was said this offseason about the explosive side of a Zach Kittley led offense and that was on full display during Friday night’s Spring game with multiple plays of 30+ yards, giving FAU fans a lot to be hopeful about heading into the season. One of the most intriguing parts was it wasn’t just Veltkamp and Messer getting the job done, as multiple different QBs and WRs all made an impact, which gives a positive sign of depth heading into the offseason.
Veltkamp is pretty much a shoe-in for quarterback at this point, however at wide receiver there will be a lot of opportunities to earn snaps throughout the season and players like Caleb Coombs, Jabari Smith and Buck Mitchell having solid showing during tonight’s spring game will only help their case at earning those snaps.
Overall it was a very successful showing for the FAU offense during their inaugural spring game under Zach Kittley and they will look to build on that over the next few months.
Zach Kittley Quotable:
Kittley on Veltkamp and Messer’s connection
“I mean, it’s huge for us, those two guys are unbelievable. They love football. Football is all they really care about, which is awesome. They live and they breathe it, and then just them being able to be around each other for three years, about to be going on four now they have, they do have an undeniable chemistry and and I think you see, he’s going to be a guy we’re going to go to quite a bit and eat, and Cade’s extremely comfortable with him, and he’s a heck of a player. So those two guys are awesome again. They bring a lot of energy to the team, and, you know, they’re they’re leaders, and they’re veterans, and so the best part about them is guys kind of follow their lead, and that’s going to help us in the right direction,” Kittley said.
Kittley on other receivers making an impact
“It’s been good. I mean, I really feel like, honestly, tonight was probably one of the lesser nights of the ball being distributed, the ball was really kind of fed through number eight tonight, which, again, that’s going to be the case sometimes, but man, he’s (Veltkamp), done a good job, man, of him getting all those people the ball in practice and and we got to keep working that chemistry, you know what I mean, that that that chemistry between him and Easton that’s already there, that’s been there for three years. They’ve been cultivating that relationship now for some time, and we just got to keep working over the summer, when they do their seven on sevens, on Saturday mornings, when they do some of those things and keep working the chemistry. But it’s been good so far,” Kittley said.
Defense creating takeaways
There were a lot of departures on the defensive side of the ball this offseason, which left a lot of question marks on what exactly the defense would be able to provide this season. Although it is just a spring game, the defense showed their takeaway ability multiple times throughout this one, recording 2 interceptions and a forced fumble on the day, while also recording 6 sacks.
Veteran DB Antonio Smith and Redshirt Freshman Kyle Boylston snagged the interceptions on the day for the Owls, with Boylston picking off Veltkamp to end the games final period and cap off a successful spring period for him where he participated in spring workouts as well as playing for FAU baseball. As for the forced fumble, Minnesota transfer and expected starting linebacker Tyler Stolsky punched a fumble away from Gemari Sands in the second quarter and it was recovered by Boylston who found himself around the football all day, finishing with the INT, Fumble recovery and 5 tackles.
It was a busy day in the sack department as well for FAU, as Rutgers Transfers Tycoolhill and Tyclean Luman, Purdue transfer Antonio Robinson, and August Salvati all recorded a sack, while freshman Josh Roberts had 2 sacks on the day. The Luman brothers are expected to be a presence on the defensive line this season for FAU, but for the Owls to get production out of Salvati, a transfer from last year who missed most of the season with an injury and Roberts, a freshman, is a really intriguing sign moving forward for the defense.
Although the offense has dominated the conversation around FAU football for most of the off-season, the defense showed during the Spring game that they have talent as well and are ready to make plays that can lead FAU to success this season. The Owls getting production from transfers in the Luman brothers, Robinson and Stolsky, as well as players who have been developing in the program is a major positive sign for the defense and with many potential options already in house, it will be interesting to see what FAU looks to bring in during the upcoming transfer portal period.
Zach Kittley Quotable:
Kittley On Tyler Stolsky:
“He’s a super sharp football player, great leadership qualities, vocal, which in that position, you know, he’s got the green dot, and so he’s the player to coach communication, and he’s got to get everybody else lined up. And that’s been the best part about him. You know, an experienced player, to a certain extent. You know, playing up there in the Big 10, and playing some big time games up there. Got to start against Ohio State, and so he’s been there. But really just the leadership qualities, and at that position, this defense, it’s so vital of getting everybody lined up and making sure we see the motions and we see the checks and he’s done a great job at that,” Kittley said.
Kittley On playing multiple defenses:
“For the most part, unless we’re playing like a very heavy 12 personnel based team. We’re gonna have a nickel defense out there for the most part, we had some big personnel in as well. That time, we saw our true four, three as well. Again, we’ll see kind of how that matches up when we get to the fall, but you’ll definitely see us in nickel. You’ll see us in a dime package as well, and you’ll see us in our big package when they want to bring some heavy bodies in there,” Kittley said.
Quiet day by the backs is not a concern:
With the passing side of the offense taking center stage in this Spring game the run game wasn’t featured as much as it may be in a normal game, however just because it was a quiet night for the Owls backs, doesn’t mean there is cause for concern. On the evening, the Owls trio of Gemari Sands, Josh Harriott and Xavier Terrell combined for 22 rushes and 65 yards, with Terrell finding the endzone with a 2 yard score.
Sands was a clear feature back, carrying it 10 times for 30 yards, building on a strong end to the 2024 campaign which saw him carry it 31 times for 117 yards and a score. While Sands was the leader in yards and carries, Terrell was a jack of all trades and a feature as well, tallying 17 yards on 8 carries and scoring from the goal line, while also adding a reception for 6 yards and although it was a mostly quiet day for Terrell, his ability to be both a physical back on the goal line, as well as make an impact in the pass game could be key for the FAU offense.
Josh Harriott carried it 4 times for 17 yards as well and he could be someone to watch as a change of pace back for the FAU offense this season, as it looks to be Sands and Terrell in feature roles, but behind them the room looks to be wide open.
Although it wasn’t a gaudy performance by the Owls running backs, it is just a spring game and not something that should be a cause for concern, however it is possible that the Owls look to bring in a running back via the upcoming transfer portal period, as the only new addition was freshman running back Ethan Ervin.
Zach Kittley Quotable on the RB Usage:
“I mean, it all depends on a week to week basis. I have a system, and we run what we run, but I’m also going to run what the defense allows me to run. So if they’re going to pack six, seven guys in the box, we’re going to throw it over their head, and if they want to play four man, five man box, we’re going to run the football a little bit. So that’s going to depend week week by week basis. And where can we attack people, you know? I mean, I have a system, and the system works against every defense, but you’ll see so much multiplicity here. But again, you know, I’m a quarterback guy. I think we got a really good trigger man, and so I want to put the ball in his hands as much as we can,” Kittley said,