The Florida Atlantic football team finished their 11th session of fall camp, practicing at the Tom Oxley Athletic Field for the second time on a vibrant Tuesday morning. Offensive coordinator Charlie Frye made himself available to media for the second occasion. “We’re throwing a lot of different situations at the kids and I think they’re handling it great…we got to continue to maintain our urgency throughout practice,” Frye said. According to Frye, the offense has been having the mentality of getting better every day regardless of what happened the day prior or what could happen the following day. “It doesn’t matter what we did yesterday, we learn from what we did yesterday but we have to go out and win today…It’s the living in the now mindset; not yesterday, not tomorrow, today,” Frye said. Here are some notes from today’s media availability. OwlBytes for August 15th Pivotal Footwork Running backs coach Chris Perkins had his group perform a drill that tested their movement and reflexes when having the ball in their hands. This drill is important for the running backs to execute correctly so it leaves them less vulnerable to losing control of the ball, fumbling it, and seeing possession turn over to the opponent. Larry McCammon III, Zuberi Mobley, and Kobe Lewis was quick on their feet, going to where they needed to be as they drew praise from Perkins. As we mentioned back in the spring in our running backs segment, the Owls saw Johnny Ford and Kelvin Dean Jr. from the program while seeing the arrivals of Kobe Lewis from Purdue earlier this year and Gemari Sands over the summer. You can read that here . Fighting Through Contact The linebackers, running backs, and tight ends joined together for an in-game drill that revolved around quarterback protection, and their physicality was on full display. The linebackers showcased brute force with their strength while the running backs and tight ends held them off to block them from reaching a staff assistant who acted as the quarterback. Among the players who had solid showings during the drill were Desmond Tisdol, Marlon Bradley, Larry McCammon III, Zeke Moore, and Kahlil Brantley (pictured top). Leaving Great Impressions Wide receiver BJ Alexander has been making strides throughout fall camp, recently catching two touchdown passes from quarterback Casey Thompson during the Owls’ first scrimmage this past Saturday. “We’ve been out there working and putting in the work to do things like how we did on Saturday for this upcoming Saturday, and hopefully on week one, it shows,” Alexander said. Having played with the offense and special teams for the past three years except 2021 when he suffered a season-ending injury, he looks to have a bigger role with the Owls entering this year as a redshirt senior. “I just try to go into each practice and try to get better at one thing so I can be more complete towards the beginning of the season,” Alexander said. Star Watch: OLB Jaylen Wester The ceiling is high for Wester (pictured below), who has gained more focus and patience throughout fall camp while he emerged as a young star for the Owls last year as a freshman. He made 58 tackles (30 solo) including 4.5 for a loss of 20 yards a sack for a loss of nine yards, and an interception to which he ran for 18 yards with as he earned C-USA All-Freshman team honors. Having been credited by head coach Tom Herman for his growth in maturity over the summer, he would seek to raise the level of his game to become an even stronger force to be reckoned with in the Owls’ defense. Final Word The room for improvement continues to exist for FAU. As offensive coordinator Charlie Frye said, it’s a mindset involving physical and mental toughness that the team needs to have every day if they wish to become one of the best. With the offense expanding its skillset with each passing session of fall camp, the will to win as a team remains the top priority for the Owls. Coach’s Corner Offensive coordinator Charlie Frye, offensive lineman Marquice Robinson, and wide receiver BJ Alexander headline today’s Coach’s Corner. The Owls will return to the Tom Oxley Athletic Field to start the 12th session of fall camp on Wednesday morning.
