Florida Atlantic football got back to work under the hot Florida sunshine again at Tom Oxley Field. A day out from the first scrimmage of Fall Camp, they took the gear back to just helmets but also ran a productive team session. Afterwards, the media met with some additional insight from EDGE Coach Michael Cibene in his first appearance of the year, for some some additional insight. Coach Cibene praised his EDGE group for their leadership and willingness to come in every single day to get better. Chris Jones and Marlon Bradley received praise for their veteran leadership within the unit, as well as the rest of the unit as a whole for how coachable they have been. When talking about the standouts in the unit, Marlon Bradley, Chris Jones, and Wilky Denaud have received praise all camp long, and Cibene had great things to say about the development of Chisom Ifeanyi. Quotable: “When Chisom got here, it was a whirl wind coming from Pennsylvania, and he’s had to adjust in so many ways. The thing I love about Chisom the most is you tell him something one time, and he gets it right the next time,” Coach Cibene said when talking about Ifeanyi’s development. Taking a short break in a positional primers, we offer a buffet of OwlBytes today, from our staffers on had for day nine’s action. Owlbytes From the Bayou to Boca Bryce Langston, transfer Defensive Lineman from LSU comes to Boca Raton this season giving the D-Line added talent and potential. Originally a 4-star recruit out of high school, the 63 300 pound comes back to the Sunshine State to offer his powerful presence to Coach Rocs defense. Coming from the gauntlet that is the SEC, Langston should offer the defense even more leadership and a top tier competitor. – Tobey Schulman Rising stock Throughout fall camp, theres been multiple players that have stood out as possible stock risers for the 2024 season. Wide receivers Dominique Henry and Omari Hayes have been praised by coaches like Coach David Beaty for their development and hard work. The two redshirt-sophomores come into this season poised to make a big impact whether on offense, or special teams. – Tobey Schulman Lightning in a Bottle FAUs Running Back room is projected to be a force to be reckoned with leading into this season, with FSU transfer CJ Campbell headlining the corps. During the Owls Spring Scrimmage, Campbell showed flashes of his explosiveness, breaking off a 75 yard touchdown at the beginning of the second half. CJ has carried momentum into a strong summer campaign with even more electric carries throughout Fall Camp. With tomorrows scrimmage right around the corner, expect more highlight reel plays from the star. – Christian Proscia Keeping up with the Times Over the past decade, football as we know it has evolved. The game has seen improvements in formations, such as RPOs and pre-snap motions, as well as evolvement in positions like mobile Quarterbacks and including Running Backs in the pass game. This off-season, FAU has really dove into modern football by game planning around the natural athletes on the roster. The Owls received more mobility in the QB room, which allows OC Charlie Frye to open up the playbook into what weve become used to seeing on Sundays. – Christian Proscia Eleven vs Twelve The Owls operated almost exclusively last season in 11 personnel, or just a lone tight end in their offensive packages. While this formation is quite common it does not give way to the play calling opportunities afforded the addition of a second tight end – enter 12 personnel. On Tuesday Coach Herman provided some extensive feedback on how the Owls may be able to cash in with potentially four capable TE1 players in the room. In essence, this would open the door towards realizing a shift of up to 20 percent of calls away from a primary 11 grouping to that of a 12. So what does this actually mean? The 12 personnel formations take away an opposing defense’s ability to key in solely on a run or pass attack. Stacking the box will lead to catch yardage, and pass defense formations will open the lanes. Both misdirection and play-action driven play calls can reap large yardage gains and enhance mis-match opportunities. The run game can also benefit with an extra blocker present. This formation is something the Owls took advantage of in previous seasons, and its return is a welcomed notion heading into 2024.- Rick Henderson Making the Grade Along with collective buy-in, consistency, improved production at virtually all positions, and enhanced depth combine to formulate what appears to be an additional underlying and silently emerging collective takeaway now that half of the Owls’ camp has quickly passed by. No coach has come outright and stated that “we are going to be better in this area” – at least not as of yet. But while reading between the lines daily in their reflections, taking in what we could during observation periods, and slowly filling in the blanks of uncertainty, what was a primary question in how their off-season roster overhaul would fair appears to have an answer. Last year’s C- overall showing should and will be a thing of the past. If the new and legacy pieces continue to converge towards further synergies it is fair to say FAU Football could potentially make the dean’s list this year in some much needed areas – and with that at least their first bowl appearance in four seasons. – Rick Henderson Coaches Corner Coach Michael Cibene headlined our interview sessions today. Up Next Having now completed their time at the Tom Oxley fields for the 2024 preseason camp cycle, the Owls will gear up for their first of two scrimmages at FAU Football Stadium tomorrow. The event is also being dubbed as Fan Fest which will be open to the general public. Gates open at 9:00 AM.
