FAU Fall Camp is well underway as Day 11 commenced on Monday morning, with the Owls hitting the field for the first time since their scrimmage on Saturday and were looking to fine tune their mistakes from that one heading into the first practice of the week.

In the first interview session of the week, Safeties Coach Derrick Gibson took the podium and spoke on a unit that features talent across the board, both younger players and veterans.
 
“It feels amazing (to have depth). Last year we were down to a walk on, so this year feel pretty good about the room right now and the young guys are coming along really well,” Gibson said.

Accordingly, in our next positional preview, we take a look at the Safeties unit.

Safeties 

Returners:

Fabian Scott - 6’3 185 Lbs, Sophomore
Antonio Smith - 6’3 190 Lbs, Redshirt Freshman
Michael Cates - 6’2 190 Lbs RS Sophomore 

Transfers/Freshman:

CJ Heard - 5’11 200 Lbs Freshman, Woodward Academy, Atlanta GA
Mike Wright III- 5’10 180 Lbs Freshman, Palm Beach Gardens HS
Kyle Boylston- 6’0 185 Lbs Freshman, Trinity Christian Academy, Orange Park FL
Curtis Janiver- 6’0 175 Lbs Freshman, Chaminade-Madonna, Hollywood FL
Phillip Dunnam- 6’1 190 Lbs Junior, Transfer from Indiana

Key Returners:

Fabian Scott - Scott returns to the Owls in his sophomore year, following a freshman year in which he saw action in multiple games following an injury filled season to the DB unit. Scott remained healthy and provided solid depth for the Owls, recording 7 tackles, a Fumble recovery and 1 QB pressure. Heading into his sophomore year, Scott has the potential to crack the 2 deep at either safety position, showing solid speed and ability to play a role in both the pass and run game and seeing reps with both 1st and 2nd teams during camp. In high school, Scott played for Owls DB Coach Brandon Harris’ father, Tim at Booker T Washington HS in Miami, and Scott’s development has continued under Brandon and the familiarity with Fabian and what he brings to the table allowed for him to see the field in year 1, and could help him continue to see increased reps in year 2.  

Antonio Smith - Smith also heads into his second year with the Owls, however he redshirted last season and heads into this year still with 4 years of eligibility. Smith has made his name known heading into year 2, starting with the spring game where he recorded 2 interceptions including one off of Cam Fancher. In the most recent scrimmage, Smith had a PBU and received reps with both the 1st and 2nd team in a rotational role. Smith is still developing for the Owls, however he has shined in his reps that he has received this offseason and it could be expected for Smith to potentially crack the 2 deep for FAU this season and earn more playing time as the season goes on.  

Versatile Returner:

Jayden Williams - Williams (pictured top photo right) was featured in our DB section of our positional previews, however it’s expected that he will receive a majority of his snaps from the Safety role this season. Williams is set to play in his 3rd position this year, having started as a true corner as a freshman, before playing nickel last season and now into the safety position this year. Williams is a veteran in this DB unit and his versatility has the chance to make everyone better as a collective as he’ll be able to slot in whenever the defense needs. Quotable: On why Jayden likes playing safety

“I do like playing safety more now… My physicality, my fearlessness, of just seeing run, just triggering. I feel like I have good ball skills. So, when I'm back there reading the quarterback, I can make more plays on the ball,” Williams said. 

Key Newcomers:

Cj Heard- Heard heads into his freshman year with the Owls as one of the top recruits from the 2024 class, choosing FAU over ECU and others, and during the early portion of camp he has impressed coaches enough to be receiving lots of first team reps. Heard has had no problems adjusting from the HS to D1 level, showing a strong ability to read his keys and contribute in both the run and pass game. Heard also has great on the ball instincts, to where although he isn’t the tallest safety at 5 '11, his explosiveness and vertical make up for that and allow for him to play bigger than he is. With both on and off the field maturity being at a high level, it can be expected Heard is able to make a serious impact this season for FAU and be a long time contributor to the defense.

 

Quotable: “I wanted to train like a 10 year vet, when you’re a freshman you don’t have many chances to mess up if you want to play early so I take every day like I’m a Vet. I'm on a routine, I wake up at 4:30 AM, Brush my teeth, read my Bible, stretch. I stay on a disciplined routine, throughout camp it has helped me keep progressing,” Heard said on adjusting to the college level  as a freshman.

“Sometimes I forget that he is a freshman, this kid has a lot of potential. I think he is going to be one of the best to ever come through these doors, and that’s saying a lot but he has all the skills and potential to do so,” Gibson said of Safeties Coach Derrick Gibson CJ being mature for his age. 

Phil Dunnam - Dunnam heads to FAU after 2 seasons at Indiana where he was a major contributor in their defense during his time there. He appeared in 12 games with 7 starts this past season, establishing himself as a top safety in the Big10 this past season, recording 53 Total tackles, 6PBUs, and 3 interceptions. Dunnam is a strong and physical safety, having great open field tackling skills and great ball awareness to recognize routes as they develop against him. Heading back to his home-state, Dunnam has a chance to be an in-state hero for the Owls at the DB unit providing veteran leadership alongside Jayden Williams. Expect Dunnam to be one of the top defensive players overall for this Owls squad and has the skill set to be another pro Owl on the defensive side of the ball with a few good seasons in paradise. 

Quoteable: “I’m going to lay it all on the line for all the other 10 guys around me, I’m going to do my job to the best of my ability, I’m a competitor and I want to win. I’m ready to get started with the guys around me,” said Dunnam of what he brings to the table.



“One thing about Phil is that he isn’t a big vocal guy, but his actions speak louder than words. He played big time football last year, he’s been in the big stadiums and played well. He’s going to make the plays a lot of guys won’t because he’s seen a lot of football,” Gibson said of Dunnam's ability to lead by example.


OwlBytes

Ballin in paradise Owls safety Phil Dunnam returns to his home state after 2 seasons in the cold at Indiana, and home-cooking is a part of the game for Dunnam as he believes he plays his best games when his mother is in attendance. “I feel like it’s better to play in front of your mom, I don’t know if it’s just me but I play way better in front of my mom, I don’t know why, but it makes me feel better, where not playing in front of my mom brings me down,” Dunnam said.  

A Man of Routine Owls Freshman Safety CJ Heard has been waking up at 4:30 AM to help him prepare this season and although that has helped him for this camp individually, that routine is something that has been a part of his life since high school, when he started taking his mom to work during her early shifts.

“My mom she works an early in the morning shift, and I used to take her to work, and I was like if I’m waking up at 5 to take my mom to work I might as well wake up earlier and do some push ups and sit-ups so I kept doing it everyday and I really like waking up early because I get a lot done on time,” Heard said.

Coaches Corner

Associate Head Coach Ed Warinner headlined our time in video interviews.



Up Next

FAU will be back in action on Tuesday, remaining at Schmidt Field for the remainder of their camp practice sessions and will have 4 more practice sessions this week, before their second scrimmage of camp commences this Saturday. FAU Owls Nest will be previewing the interior defensive line tomorrow and will speak with DL Coach Roosevelt Maggitt Jr.