The final practice of FAU fall camp before Michigan State preparations get set to start next week commenced on Friday morning, as the Owls took the field one last time to fine tune their game in live action Saturday.

In todays media availability was FAU OC Charlie Frye, who spoke on the improvement this offense has made as a collective, specifically noting the closeness of the QB room. 

“Quarterback room has always been more special because one guy is out there at a time. It’s the support from the room, conversations of ‘hey did you see this play’ and talking through to find the answer. They feel like they all have the answers, they’re taking notes and learning from each other, when guys do that it creates a bond. Creating bonds is facing adversity, when things are hard you go through that together, adversity helps that. There is no harder position to play than what these guys are asked to do,” Frye said. 

Accordingly, in our next positional preview, we take a look at the Quarterback room.

Quarterbacks 

Returners:
 
Tyriq Starks, Redshirt Junior, 6’2 200 LBs
Carson Cruver, Redshirt Freshman, 6’3 200 LBS

Transfers/Freshman:

Cam Fancher, Redshirt Junior transfer from Marshall, 6’1 195 LBS
Kasen Weisman, Redshirt Freshman transfer from Colorado, 6’2 190 Lbs
Michael Valentino, Freshman Sarasota FL, 6’1 195 LBs


Key Returner:
   
Tyriq Starks - Starks (photo top, Rick Henderson) is the Owls veteran in this QB Room, heading into his 3rd official season with the FAU. Spending 2 seasons at Independence CC, Starks dominated the Juco level and has developed immensely in his 2 years at FAU. 

Starks possesses dynamic traits and size at 6’2 210 LBs, to have the ability to be both a dynamic pocket passer and be a mobile threat. He showcased that ability at the end of last season against rice, completing 5 out of 6 passes for 35 yards and gaining multiple first downs with his legs.

Both aspects of his game have vastly improved in the 2 years he’s been here, improving his pocket presence and awareness as a runner and it’s forced the FAU staff into a QB battle during this offseason.

Heading into year 3, Starks has demonstrated a solid command of the offense, having a firm grasp on the playbook and confidence to improvise with his legs when needed. Starks has also shown a connection with a variety of receivers on the offense, which has helped him shine during scrimmage reps, both stretching the field and hitting check downs.

Although Coach Tom Herman eluded to Starks being behind Fancher a tad in the QB1 battle, Starks arguably out played him in the first scrimmage. Should he continue to perform strongly during the remainder of camp, it may force FAU into some serious discussions as to who should be QB 1 come Michigan State. 

“He’s always had great command, that’s one of Tyriq’s strengths is his command and leadership on the sideline.  His urgency and when he’s playing fast, you can hear him getting guys aligned and snapping the ball on time, it’s definitely one of his strengths,” Frye said of Starks’ command of the FAU offense.

“Focusing on myself and improve. Everyday the battle is going to be the battle, so as long as I keep getting better than yesterday then I’ll be good,” Starks said on what he’s tried to showcase during camp.   

Key Newcomers:

Cam Fancher - Fancher comes to the Owls after 3 seasons at Marshall, 2 of which he started. A veteran with championship level experience, Fancher led Marshall to 2 bowl games, playing in one of them and winning the Myrtle Beach Bowl over UConn in 2022. 

A true dual threat QB, Fancher has the arm to sling it and the legs to take off and run with it, which is crucial to this Owls offense. Last season Fancher completed 65.6% of his passes for 2,162 yards while also rushing for 273 yards and 4 scores. 

Since coming to FAU, Fancher has showcased that dual threat ability, looking dynamic in this fast paced and diverse offense. The RPO game has looked like a big strength of Fancher’s game, showcasing an ability to command the offense at a high level. Fancher has also shown a willingness to stretch the field, albeit with a few bumps in the road, which is a tall task against the staunch FAU defense.



Fancher (photo above, Rick Henderson) has multiple connections in the pass catching room, having played HS football with Elijah Brown at TE, and played at Marshall with WRs Caleb Coombs & Ej Horton. This has allowed for him to have no problems, adjusting to the new pass catchers and finding a solid connection with the offense as a whole. 

During the most recent scrimmage Fancher threw 3 interceptions, but Coach Herman was happy with how Fancher bounced back in that one. Heading into scrimmage number 2, expect a more relaxed Fancher, who will look to command the offense with more efficiency. 

In the midst of an intense QB battle throughout camp, Cam has taken a slight lead in the Race for QB 1, but will need to have a bounce back scrimmage and a solid final week of camp to win the job. 

“His command and finding his voice, when you come into a new organization, you know all eyes are on you. You know all eyes are on you, so it’s like you want to show it before you tell it and earn guys respect, showcase your playmaking ability and what you can do. There’s a lot of thinking that goes on in the spring, and he’s put in a lot of work over the summer and studied his playbook, so now he can repeat it back and teach it… it’s a definitely a process and I’m proud of the steps he’s taken,” Frye said on what he’s seen improvement wise from Fancher. 

“Being confident in my decisions, I feel like when you’re confident it makes all the inaccuracies and hesitations a lot more clean. I feel like having those conversations off the field with Frye and Herman it’s making me and improve and more confident by the field,” Fancher on what he’s improved the most during his time here. 

Kasen Weisman - The Wildcard in this room, Weisman transferred to FAU following a season a redshirt season at Colorado. A 3 star recruit out of Douglasville Georgia, Weisman was scouted as a potential power 4 starter by Andrew Ivins of 247 and has impressed coaches during his short time at FAU. 

With a cannon of an arm, Weisman has a serious ability to stretch the field and has showcased that during fall camp. 

Where Weisman has really been able to fit in this offense is with his strong ability to throw on the run, which in the Play action and RPO heavy offense should allow him to run the offense effectively if he’s given the chance. 

Weisman (photo below, Rick Henderson) has rotated in with both the 2nd and 3rd teams and has been close to turning the QB battle into a 3 way race at times, showing a strong command of the offense and ability to make plays. 

Although he isn’t expected to crack the QB1 role to start the year for the Owls, Weisman is a potential future option at QB for the Owls and with a season under Coach Frye and the offense it may not be too long before he makes an impact in paradise.

 

“He loves football, and it makes it easier to play the position because he’s a sponge, he’s back there taking mental reps even though he’s not playing the rep. I think he showcased his playmaking ability yesterday, we got in a 2 point play situation and he was going out against the 1 defense and he made a play, scrambling around extending the play and putting the ball up where his guy had a chance to make the play and he made it for him, he’s got that spark, that it factor to him,” FAU Oc Charlie Frye said on Weisman’s development during fall camp. 

“Ever since I was a little kid I’ve always had insane confidence, that’s never been a problem for me. Just come out here with these guys who I know can make plays, which makes my job 10 times easier when I put the ball in the air and I know they’re going to come down with it,” Weisman said on his deep ball confidence.


Owl Bytes

Culture Shift  FAU OC Charlie Frye is another part of this Owls squad that has noticed a shift in culture this offseason. The Owls have debuted a much tighter knit group and it has allowed for the offense to be very successful in his eyes during fall camp. 

“You can tell that this group has come together, and that they care about one another. From my experience, that’s been the most successful offenses I’ve been apart of is when there’s camaraderie, maturity in the room, leadership, holding guys accountable,  all those things that create the culture are showing up,” Frye said.  

Welcome to Paradise FAU QB Kasen Weisman transferred in from Colorado this past offseason, and Weisman who is originally from a small town in Georgia said the bright lights at Colorado led to him needing to make some adjustments in year one. Now in his second season in college in a new program, Weisman has been excited to be apart of a new regime that has helped him excel.

“It’s hard to put into words, going from a small town in Atlanta to being around celebrities every single day it was very difficult for me. At first I was like what am I doing here, so it was hard for me to adjust but coming here it’s more team bonded, no issues in the locker room, we’re all connected and stuff so it’s been great so far here,” Weisman said. 

Coaches Corner

OC Charlie Frye headlined our time in video interviews.



Up Next

The Owls will be on the field at FAU Stadium tomorrow, participating in their second scrimmage of fall camp. The Owls offense will be looking to bounce back, while the defense will look to continue their dominance. We will wrap up our 2024 camp coverage afterwards with a scrimmage recap and OwlBytes.