FAU was back in action on Monday morning with just one day remains until the official start of full pads. Taking the podium following practice was OL Coach Ed Warriner, who believes that although their will be 4 new starters on the offensive line, the unit brings in a ton of talent and the right amount of work during training camp will lead this group to success. We lost four starters…but we are very talented, so what we have to do is make up for the lack of experience with quality practice and competition, said Warriner. Accordingly, in our next position primer, we take a look at the OL unit. Offensive Line Returning players: Jordan Church – OG, Redshirt Freshman, 64 315 LBS Woody Jean – OG/ Redshirt Junior, 65 315 LBS Okino King – OG/C: Redshirt Sophomore, 63 305 LBS Federico Maranges – C, Redshirt Senior, 64 300 LBS Andre Lamas – OG/C, Red Shirt Senior, 63 300 LBS Alex Atcavage – OG, Redshirt Senior, 65 300 LBS Ovie Dubre – OG, Redshirt Freshman, 64 325 LBS Malcolm Lamar – OT, Grad Student, 65 313 LBS Transfers/Freshman: JaKavion Nonar – OT, Redshirt Sophomore transfer from Maryland, 68 280 LBS Scarlee Jean – OT, GradStudent transfer from Keiser, 64 320 LBS Daughtry Richardson – OT, Redshirt sophomore transfer from FSU, 65 320 LBS Keon Rohe – OT, Freshman (Germany), 67 300 LBS Ethan Proffitt – OT, Freshman Neptune Beach FL, 65 315 Braden Cunningham – OG, Freshman Orange park, FL, 6’6, 315 Key Returners: Jordan Church: Church returns to the Owls following a redshirt freshman year in which he saw action in important Owl victories, the home opener against Monmouth and road victory against USF. Using last season to gain experience and size, Church heads into this season at 64 315 and is a potential option at guard, a part of the line which is currently up for grabs. As a LT at IMG, he received Florida offensive player of the year nominations after not allowing a sack the entirety of the season. Expect Church to compete for a starting G position and at a minimum, provide solid depth for the Owls. Quoteable;Church is really good, high level talent, got to be careful bringing him up too much because the P4 scouts are listening, said FAU OL coach Ed Warinner. Woody Jean: Jean heads into his second season with the Owls as a solid rotational piece, and someone who has the versatility to play as both a G and OT. Originally from Deerfield beach HS, Jean originally attended Arizona and started as a tackle where he played in 5 games as a freshman in 2020, before redshirting the following year and transferring to FAU in 2022. Jean played in 2 games last year with the Owls, rotating in at tackle against USF and UTSA and in the offseason began taking snaps at guard. Jeans versatility at both tackle and guard should allow him to see rotational reps across the board this season for the Owls, possibly working into a starting role if the cards fall into place. Okino King: King heads into his second season with the Owls as a rotational depth piece and during camp has been receiving snaps at center in a backup role. As a redshirt sophomore, King has a valuable opportunity to gain more valuable experience this season, with Federico Maranges the current starting center heading into his final season as an Owl. Although King will have a hard time earning reps over Federico in game, he remains a versatile option in the middle portion of the line and remains an option for the center position once Maranges moves on next season. Quoteable: Okino has been working there, and he’s our backup center, doing a great job. We like a lot about him. I actually rotated him in at guard some today too, because he’s a multi-purpose player for us, said FAU OL Coach Ed Warinner. Federico Maranges: Maranges returns to the Owls in his final season of eligibility as the de-facto leader of this group, having served as a captain last season and heads into this season as the leading option to start at center for the Owls. Maranges earned a starting role last season and has never looked back, and now heading into 2024 he has garnered national attention, earning preseason Phil Steele All-AAC First Team and Athlon All-AAC Second Team honors. Maranges is the leader of this unit, both on and off the field, being a vocal beacon of support on the sidelines and a force of nature in the middle on the field. Maranges is a smart leader, currently pursuing a masters in Biomedical sciences and if he ends up not pursuing a pro career in football, a career in the medical field could not be too far behind. Unless something drastic occurs, it can be expected Federico is the starting center come the first game against Michigan State. Quoteable: Federico Maranges, our two time captain and, just a great human being and a great player. He has a chance to be an all conference player, probably has a chance to play at the next level after this in some way, shape or form, whether it’s the NFL or the nfl’s other league, or Canada, he has a place to play in professional football, said FAU OL Coach Ed Warinner. Andre Lamas: Lamas heads into his final season with the Owls as the oldest returner in the group, having spent the past 4 seasons with FAU and is using his Covid year for a 5th year of eligibility this season. A rotational contributor on the interior of the line during his time here, Lamas brings veteran experience and system familiarity to the table in pursuit of a starting guard role for the Owls this season. Lamas is one of the strongest Owls on the team, per coach Warinner he is the strongest offensive lineman and that strength is something he can use to his advantage as he attempts to win a starting line job this season, another benefit for him is his ability to move around and play both guard positions and center. Alongside his strength, Lamas brings solid footwork to the table and is able to pull block at an effective speed to help the offense create creases in the run game. It can be expected for Lamas to compete strongly for a starting G job, and will also potentially serve as the backup center for the Owls this season. Quoteable: It’s always been the same, but with this last season, it’s my last go around, I need it. There’s nothing else more than I want. I’ve dedicated my life to this program for the past four and a half to five years, and I’m not going out without it, Lamas said. Alex Atcavage: Atcavage returns to the Owls as another veteran who has been around the program with the chance to earn a starting guard role during training camp. Atcavage brings solid footwork and size (65 300 LBS) to compete as a starting guard and at a minimum be one of the top depth options for a unit which has lacked that rotational depth in past seasons. Ovie Dubre: Dubre heads into his redshirt freshman season with the Owls, after not playing in a single game his true freshman season and taking the year to develop his size and technique. At 6 ‘4 325 LBS, Dubre has developed size wise to the point where he has earned reps at the starting guard positions, and is in a potential battle to win a job during camp. Although it will be an uphill battle for a starting role, Dubre will be a very solid rotational piece for the Owls this season and will be a solid piece for this unit for years to come. Malcolm Lamar: Lamar heads into this season as a potential starting tackle option for the Owls and one of the senior most players on this offensive line unit, having started as a defensive lineman at FSU in 2018, having played 4 games in 2 years before switching to OL and transferring to FAU. The past 3 seasons, Lamar has served as a rotational piece at LT while learning the ins and outs of the position and heading into his final season of eligibility he has developed into a serious option to start at LT. Quoteable: Malcolm was a defensive lineman. So he’s a converted guy that had never played offense before. And so I’ve got two years now and it’s time for him to go help us, FAU OL Coach Ed Warriner. Key Newcomers: JaKavion Nonar: Nonar comes to FAU via Maryland, having spent 2 years with the Terrapins following a dominant HS career at Glades Central, which was part of the reason the Owls targeted him in the transfer portal. At 68, Nonar has the size to contribute at the tackle position, but could see the Owls strength staff look to beef him up as he currently weighs in at 280 LBS. Being a step quicker than some of the Owls other options at tackle gives him a leg up in the competition for the starting tackle jobs, however he remains in a battle with Malcom Lamar and Newcomers Scarlee Jean and Daughtry Richardson, and will need to earn his job over the next couple of weeks. Regardless, Nonar would be a solid rotational option for the Owls and it could be expected that he develops into a contributing piece on the line for FAU over the next few years. Scarlee Jean: Jean (photo below Rick Henderson) heads to the Owls after 4 years at local NAIA powerhouse, Keiser where he was a mainstay on their offensive line over the past 4 seasons. Jean is a mammoth on the outside, not the tallest option on the roster, at 6 ‘4, but having 320 pounds of pure muscle, which allows for him to win a number of 1v1 pass rush attempts against ends who may be a step quicker. Jeans starting experience at Keiser has allowed for the technique aspect of his game to develop to a point where he is top option to start at either tackle position for the Owls. Jean is a neuroscience and behavior grad student at FAU, and his intelligence off the field translates to on the field as well, displaying copious amounts of leadership since transferring to FAU in June. It can be expected for Jean to compete and potentially win a starting tackle job for the Owls, having the versatility to play on either end of the line and contribute whenever the Owls need him. Quoteable: I would say mainly my football IQ, because Coach Warinner does a really good job teaching us about more than just defensive line but I kind of knew that stuff coming in with the experience I had at Keiser, we had a great offensive line coach Coach Lord. He taught us those kinds of things watching for linebackers, watching for rotations and stuff like that. So coming in here, I kind of knew that stuff already, so I believe I had that little edge on some of the other tackles, but those guys are great. All those guys are ballers. So I love the competition, Jean said on what sets him apart in the OL room. Daughtry Richardson: Richardson came to FAU in the spring after 2 seasons at FSU where he played in 3 games in 2 years, one a redshirt season. At 6 ‘5 320 LBS, Richardson has the size to immediately contribute on the line for FAU and brings championship caliber experience having spent the past 2 years in Tallahassee. Richardson grew up in Miami and played his HS Ball at Miami Central, so he was apart of FAUs Tri county recruiting pitch, and because of it the Owls get a strong local talent as a part of their program. Richardson is in a battle with Jean and Nonar for a starting tackle position and has been a leader during training camp, so it could be expected for him to have an advantage at tackle currently, but both Jean and Nonar have been impressing during camp as well, so it will require strong performances from everyone across the board to win out the jobs. Quoteable: Its a dog eat dog world, that’s my mentality, thats how I come with it. I know if I underperform, and then the next guy that wants to come take my spot performs better than me, then I might be on the bench. I know what my mission is, I didnt come to ride the bench, I came to play and do what Im supposed to, FAU OL Daughtry Richardson on his mindset heading into a positional battle. OwlBytes Tri County Takeover from the players perspective One of FAUs biggest recruiting mantras during the Herman era has been the Tri-County takeover, and keeping talent that is from South Florida in their neck of the woods. Daughtry Richardason grew up in Miami, and after a few seasons in Tallahassee returns to just an hour away from his hometown, which is something that has led to a very positive mindset heading into this season. I’m just happy. I’m just happy to play football, I love playing football. And to be back home, like with my pops and stuff, and my lady moved down here with me, so everything worked out, God doing his magic, God doing his work. I’m always happy with family life, always happy. I might have not done the best at practice or something like that, but I didnt allow that to stop me, because it’s another opportunity to get better, another opportunity to see what I did wrong and convert those mistakes and not make those mistakes again, said FAU OL Daughtry Richardson on being back near his home town. Buying-in Having been a part of both recent regimes of FAU football, Ed Warinner has seen the highs and lows of the program and this past offseason, he has seen a different level of commitment from the Owls, noticing that theres a real sense of buying in from the current group of players. I understood the culture of Tom Herman because Tom Herman and I were together for three years and I understood what kind of culture he was going to bring in. So it wasn’t- but it was very much different from the previous culture. And so, transition takes time, transition takes buy in. I do see a difference. I feel a difference in practice. I see a difference in practice. I see a difference in meetings, I see a difference in everything, said FAU OL Coach Ed Warinner. Coaches Corner Associate Head Coach Ed Warinner headlined our time in video interviews. The Owls remain at the Ton Oxley Center for tomorrow’s camp session, but will be in full pads for the first time since the Spring Game. Tom Herman will be on hand afterwards to provide his thoughts, and we will take our first look at the tight ends room.
