The Owls put on pads for the first time in their 2024 Fall Camp cycle yesterday, and did the same today while remaining at the Tom Oxley fields. Associate Head Coach Chad Lunsford, who carries duel roles for Florida Atlantic including oversight of both the Special Teams and Tight Ends units, was pleased with what he saw from the team overall in the back-to-back heavy hitting sessions. “Yes we went full pads the last two days, but throughout camp I thought the guys as a whole have been very intentional”, said Lunsford. “But big picture I see a mature football team. We’ve still got a long ways to go, but I see a more mature football team than we had last year. They are handling each dress of the day, and how that should look.” Continuing on with our positional previews, we examine the kicker and punters for this season’s Owls – which like other groups will enjoy continuity and the return of a familiar face in that of redshirt junior Morgan Suarez. Kickers & Punters Returning Kickers: Morgan Suarez – R-Jr. 5-10, 180 Carter Davis – Jr. 6-0, 210 Robert Hammond III – R-Fr. 6-1, 165 Transfers/Freshman: None Key Returners: All kickers will play a valued role this season, with each living up the title of “specialist” while bringing something unique respectively. Morgan Suarez: Suarez will likely return to his starting job after an injury last summer kept him sidelined for FAU’s 2023 campaign. Before the injury, he made nine field goals in 13 attempts throughout 2022 with a long of 43 yards, while being named C-USA’s Special Teams Player of the Week after making three in the season-opener against Charlotte. Suarez was perfect at 35-of-35 in PAT during 2022 as well. Quotable: “Your only as good as you next kick, but I see him as being very consistent”, said Coach Lunsford. “I don’t see him up and down with his motions or anything like that. He’s gone through a lot of adversity, which I think has lent to that, but I love seeing that side of Morgan – he is the same guy everyday.” “One of the pillars of the program is going 1-0 and I kind of incorporate that into kicking and one kick at a time”, said Suarez. “If I miss the last rep, the only thing that matters is the next one and if I made the last rep the only thing that matters is the next one.” Carter Davis: Following the close of the 2023 season, Davis decided to test the waters within the transfer portal before ultimately deciding to return to the Owls’ roster for what will be his third season in uniform. He’s primarily focused on kick-offs (115 attempts, 61.7 YD/AVG, 64 TB) and extra point duties when necessary (23 PAT) throughout his career and will likely continue to do so. Quotable: “Suarez has been that guy for us that’s got that in game experience, and Carter Davis has got a little in game experience with field goals and definitely with kick-offs”, Lunsford said. Robert Hammond III: Hammond Joined the Owls in the summer of 2023 to prepare for his first collegiate season, while using the year as a redshirt season. Lunsford is high on the youngster, saying that he has talented and while he needs some time to develop that they are glad that they bought him in to also compete. Returning Punters: Logan Lupo – R-Jr. 6-0, 190 Nick Salmon – Jr. 6-3, 220 Key Returners: As with the kicking unit, the punters will also see both players providing key contributions – particularly given the size of the unit itself. Logan Lupo – Likely leading in the starter’s battle for the Owls, Lupo put his punting ability on display last season, booting 54 punts for a total of 2,374 yards with his longest registering a whopping 71 yards against Tulsa. That performance against Tulsa, where he also made two field goals while averaging of 51.8 yards in punting overall, saw him become the first FAU player to earn AAC Player of the Week honors. Lupo also registered a passing attempt last season, which was good for eight yards, and completed 21 PAT. Quotable: “The great thing about Lupo is that he is a duel guy, he has the opportunity to compete at both punter and field goals”, Lunsford said. “I love Logan’s experience, work ethic, and competitiveness. I think he has an ego in a good way. I think he is good in punting and kicking and he tries to show and bring that every day.” “I’m just trying to be better everyday and be more consistent, while taking out a couple of those mishaps that happened last year”, said Lupo of his individual goals for the season. “Every day we come in it’s a competition, until one day when it’s decided.” Nick Salmon – As previously reported by Owl’s Nest staffer Richard Pereira in our Spring FAU Football reporting cycle, 2023 was an adjustment period for Salmon having travelled from Australia all the way to South Florida. He mainly served as the holder for the Owls in special teams, getting his chance to punt three times. His punts combined for 106 yards, his longest being a 44-yarder last October against UTSA. He will likely continue to serve a vital back-up role in the punting area, while also providing critical holder duties for both extra point and field goal tries. Quotable: “When I think about Nick, i think about a guy that I have to say ‘whoa, slow down, you are kicking way too much, you’re punting way to much, Because he is out there every single day trying to get better”, said Lunsford. “He’s brought a different energy to it this year. Spring he looked much better and he’s had a good camp so far.” “The more reps you get at something the better you’re going to be at it obviously”, Salmon said. “I think as a punter you need to be good at pinning anything inside the 10 and you need to have the big ball as well.” OwlBytes Surprise, Surprise It’s always good to get something you haven’t planned for, or expect to receive. And for Coach Lunsford, that has come to pass in the form of the ability to transition successfully with a number of newcomers. “How the new guys came in and bought into the vision. There’s a lot of different ways to skin a cat, but Coach Herman has a plan, the coaches have bought in, and the players have bought in. You hear them talking the same language as our staff. I think the biggest surprise is how quick that came together”, said Lunsford. Take It on The Run It’s no secret that the Owls had a tough time getting the ground game going last season. Fortunately, after being plagued by a season ending injury to Zuberi Mobley, and having the tandem of Larry McCammon and Kobe Lewis duct taped together for what ending up being baton passes week to week, there is good news. And it appears to be coming from CJ Campbell, and a lighter, stealthier, and fully recovered Mobley. Both are performing very well in team periods, which pits varying units against each other, and have shown flashes of burst and downfield ability the team has not seen in recent seasons. Need evidence? “First play live, 50 yard TD!” shouted Associate Head Coach Ed Warinner yesterday when Campbell took a hand-off outside and straight to the house down the sideline on the very first play of padded action for the team. Metrical Value Nestled in the corner of the endzones during Fall Camp sessions is a device that the FAU Coaching staff are using to mine data on skill position performance. The Catapult tracker provides them with feedback on the Owls’ running backs, receivers, and other player’s such as total distance, sprint distance, and top speed. They can then make decisions which optimize player training, reduce the risk of injury, provide player comparisons, and improve positioning. Coaches Corner Associate Head Coach Chad Lunsford headlined our time in video interviews. Up Next On the heels of completing two full-contact sessions, FAU Football will be moving back their attire back to shells for tomorrow’s action. As we hit the midpoint of the Preseason Camp cycle, our team will continue our coverage of all the action with a focus on the return specialists for the day.
