It's that time of the year again, when special meetings, connections, moments, and conversations take place.

And a time when prospects visit their future homes in waiting.

For the Owls, it will be a busy one, as Florida Atlantic football will look to welcome 18 prospects in this weekend.

Some are very familiar with the sights and surroundings.

Yet for some, it will be their first taste of what Owl fans and the like have affectionately named "Paradise".

In any event, it will be the largest official visit weekend ever to take place since FAU Stadium officially opened in October, 2011.

On tap to take in the festive weekend are some of the finest the southern United States has to offer.

Below are those who have already given their pledge to join FAU in their move to the American Conference next season, and are expected to make their way to Boca Raton:

Gulliver Prep DB Antonio Smith

McEachern OL Ovie Dubre

Jones DB Chris Tooley

Dougherty DE Stantavious Smith

Clewiston DB Preston Thompson

Dillard WR AJ Jenkins

Booker T Washington Safety Fabian Scott

Seminole QB Luke Rucker

Roswell TE Zeke Moore

St. Thomas Aquinas RB Xavier Terrell

Venice TE Fin Jones

Jones WR Jabari Smith

Clearwater OLB Curtis Roberts

Aquinas RB Gemari Sands


And there are also four others expected, who will be deciding where they will attend to realize their football and academic dreams.

• Curtis Douglas 6-0, 205 lbs 3* ATH / RB - Santaluces Community, Lake Worth, FL. Owls are in the lead.

• Darius McClendon 6-2, 185 lbs 3* CB - New Mexico Military Academy, MTSU. Owls are in the lead.

• Jordan Church 6-4 325 lbs 3* OL - IMG Academy, Bradenton, FL. Owls will look to overtake Louisville.

• Wallace Unamba 6-5, 335 OL - Kilgore Junior College, Kilgore, TX. Owls will look to overtake Eastern Carolina.

New Head Coach Tom Herman has made it clear that the program is not a rebuild, and that infrastructure is already in place for the resurgence to Championship level.

"We're not going to shy away from the word Championship, that needs to be said around here and that needs to be the goal", said Herman. "This is not a rebuild. We've got players, we've got leadership, facilities, a fan base, and a beautiful stadium. We just need to put it together."

So, those joining the program will only further solidify this premise, and strengthen it's resolve.

We'll be updating throughout the weekend with some postings as applicable.