On Monday afternoon, FAU football was flipped upside down as numerous staff changes were announced.
After a 6-16 tenure over nearly 2 years, FAU Coach Tom Herman has been relieved of his duties, with Associate Head Coach Chad Lunsford being named interim head coach. That was not all however, as Lunsford in his first act as interim head coach rehired former defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni, who was fired by Herman nearly a week prior.
That is an abundance of change for an Owls team which just a few weeks ago was competing to make it to a bowl game, before a 5 game slide saw AD Brian White decide to make a move at Head Coach. For interim Coach Chad Lunsford, it was a no brainer when White asked if he wanted to take on the job, however he knows this is an opportunity to finish strong and intends to do so.
“Brian, first off, told me the decision that he had made, and then asked if I would like to step up and take the interim role. You know that it was probably a no-brainer for me, and I don’t know how people will take that, but I just think when you’re called to coach, it’s about being a servant leader. It’s about trying to impact others. And, you know, obviously, I’ve got to walk the walk. I can’t just talk the talk. Sometimes when you decide, hey, I’m going to take the interim spot, if it’s offered to you, it maybe makes that picture down the road a little bit more blurry, but that’s not who I am, and I just wanted to step up, do my part. Help this staff, help these players go out on a high note, and I’m just going to work my butt off and see what I can do,” Lunsford said.
Lunsford made the immediate decision to bring back defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni, something that adds stability to a staff which has gone through 3 staff changes throughout the past 2 weeks. The Owls defense looked solid under Brandon Harris last week against Temple, allowing only 18 points, however this move was less about the production on the field, but rather everything that Bellantoni brings off of the field.
No matter what college athletics has turned into through the new age of NIL and the portal, coaches still serve as leaders for the young individuals they recruit and without their head coach, Bellantoni returns to FAU with his invaluable leadership. Not only is Roc a leader within this program, he has ties to the South Florida Community which will help this team maintain their 2nd ranked recruit class in the AAC, something Lunsford noted was apart of his conversation with Brian White.
Outside of what Roc brings in terms of his leadership and connections, when it comes down to it, he’s a good person according to Lunsford and bringing him back is something that can only benefit this team throughout the final weeks.
“Roc’s a good man. Roc’s a really good coach again. Sometimes decisions get made because of maybe what is going on with play or whatnot. And you know, that’s not for me to judge, but this one was an easy decision, but there was also a big piece of how to do it as well. I thought it was very important for our team that Roc came back, because he was well liked, well respected, and he’s meant a lot to the FAU program for many years, but I’d be reminisce to say man Brandon Harris did a tremendous job as defensive coordinator when Coach Roc was let go. He rallied the troops. He called a great game plan last week against temple, and he really knocked it out of the park, you know? And so when this went down and we started trying to make a decision about Coach Rock and everything, it was a no brainer. Bringing Coach Roc back, but I went and talked with Coach Harris, and Coach Harris was like, Absolutely, because that is the best thing for our team and our players, because he’s so well liked and respected. But Coach Harris, man, he is going to be an awesome defensive coordinator one day. You know, when somebody gives him that opportunity, and he really impressed me last week, and he impressed this whole staff, he impressed our players. So I wanted to make sure I said that, you know, because he really did an awesome job. But again, glad to have Roc back. I think that the seniors, the linebackers, the defense, even the offense, was very excited about him being back, and brought another different energy for us,” Lunsford.
From a players perspective, these past 2 weeks could be viewed as a bit hectic, however Bellantoni returning brings morale back to a locker room that amidst a 5 game losing streak and numerous changes could use positivity. Morale aside, the Owls defense prior to this 5 game losing streak was the strength of this unit and heading off a solid performance against Temple, these final 2 games will be an opportunity for Bellantoni and his unit to finish strong.
For senior linebacker Jackson Ambush, Bellantoni returning brings a sense of normalcy back to the locker room as he has been his lone DC in his 2 years in paradise, but he mentions that Bellantoni’s reach goes far beyond the playing field.
“I found out, like, early before the team, like the team meeting, everything you know nowadays with social media, you can’t hide anything. Some guy found out. And, you know, I pulled the guys up In the locker room and I told them before, our AD walked in and there was some discussions about bringing roc back, as our DC, everybody loves the guy. He’s probably the most liked coach in the building. Every time you see him, he’s always got a smile on his face. He’s, you know, just the most loved person in the building, my opinion,” Ambush said.
As for Lunsford, this isn’t his first Rodeo as an interim head coach, as he took over at Georgia Southern following the firing of Tyson Summers in 2017, eventually winning the full time job. Lunsford saw success during his time in Statesboro, finishing 28-21 across 4 and a half seasons with a 2-1 bowl game record.
Lunsford was well liked at Georgia Southern, however after a 1-3 start in 2021 they opted to cut ties and he eventually joined Willie Taggart’s FAU staff as special teams coordinator and tight ends coach in 2022. Although his last stint as coordinator ended in him winning the job, Lunsford is heading into this job with a selfless approach noting that he just wants to help this squad finish strong.
“I have been there before, and what I do know is when I was in it before, it wasn’t what I did, it was about what we did collectively as a group. And I think that experience, because at that time, that actually paid off for the program that I was at, and I just wanted to pay off for FAU and I think that’s the big piece, showing those examples that maybe that I have experienced in, and saying, hey, you know, every situation is different, but this did work. And, you know, get that buy in, get that belief going and go, Hey, look, let’s do something to make FAU proud. And I think that’s the big thing. Finish strong,” Lunsford said.
For sophomore tight end Zeke Moore, Lunsford has served as a leader for him both on and off of the field and with him as head coach he says people can expect to see a coach who will bring a great attitude that is contagious.
“He’s a coach you really love playing for, he’s a player’s coach, but he also is great at teaching the game and just also coming to work with a great attitude. He makes me really want to come to work. That’s probably my favorite thing about him. And he’s very involved on and off the field, like in our personal lives, and that’s something that a lot of players really appreciate about him,” Moore said.
Looking towards the future, the outlook for FAU football may seem grim, however there is light at the end of the tunnel knowing the recruit class set to come in is very strong, currently ranked 2nd in the AAC. FAU currently has the 2nd ranked 2025 recruiting class, with Teddy Hoffman a 6’0 receiver from Boca Raton currently ranked as the highest recruit.
The Owls have been able to capitalize on talent in South Florida with their Tri-County recruiting mantra, however a lot of that has to do with the facilities and campus itself, along with NIL, rather than on-field success and there is a belief that Herman’s successor will have a chance at retaining a solid amount of their class. That is why when Brian White met with Chad Lunsford, they discussed finishing strong not only for this recruit class, but for the university as a whole.
“That was something else discussed with Brian White, we’re going full speed ahead. I think it’s very important that you’re always selling FAU. You’re selling what FAU is. You’re not necessarily selling who the coach is. And don’t get me wrong, there’s parts of that as well, and you’ve got to be ready to battle that. But I think it’s very important that you talk about how nice the facilities we have here, you talk about how much support we have here, you talk about location, and you talk about what a great college campus we have as well. You know, you get recruits on campus. Man, they get really impressed, and so I think we have a really good recruiting staff department, and they have a really good eye for talent. And, you know, whoever the next head coach ends up being, you know, I feel confident that there’s going to be things in place for him to be able to make decisions, and he’s probably going to be very happy with some of those, those recruiting efforts, you know. So I think it’s all about selling FAU right now. Let’s go full speed ahead and get the best players here with all that’s going on,” Lunsford said.
It’s full steam ahead for Lunsford and the remaining FAU staff, but all eyes will be on FAU athletic director Brian White, as he announced a national search will commence for the next Head Coach and he will have no further comment until they’ve found their guy. It’s unknown which direction the Owls go at Head Coach, but expect White to turnover every stone as FAU looks to bring the winning back to paradise.