Head coach Zach Kittley and new defensive line coach Devin Santana just added a lot of size and strength to the trench of Florida Atlantic’s defense in the 2025 roster, landing their next commitment in defensive lineman Enyce Sledge.
Enyce Sledge
Defensive Line
6-3, 320 lbs
Transfer
Illinois
Sledge announced his commitment to the Owls on Friday afternoon via X, shortly after entering the portal on Dec. 4. He joins the team with two years of eligibility remaining, citing Kittley as a key reason to why he is coming to Boca Raton.
“I had the opportunity to either go back power 5 or group of 5, but I decided to come here because of what I see he’s building. I love how Coach Kittley moves and operates. He’s the man for the job and I feel like the AD’s made the right decision,” Sledge said.
“What excites me the most is knowing that the offense will be in good hands having coach Kittley with the mindset he has, and we will be balanced out on both sides of the ball. But having coach Kittley is like having a jack of all trades with all the good pros and no cons, and I feel like that will give us an advantage going into the season.”
He looks for a new opportunity after being a member of the Illinois Fighting Illini for one season, mainly being a reserve as he made four appearances throughout the 2024 campaign. He made two tackles (one solo) against Eastern Illinois on Aug. 29 and Penn State on Sept. 28.
Sledge also spent his first two years at Auburn, where he developed a strong connection with Roc Bellantoni, who was the Tigers’ edge linebackers coach and special teams coordinator before serving as FAU’s defensive coordinator for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
He also shares a connection with Santana, which gives him an edge in knowing what he has to do help the team.
“From me seeing everything and knowing everything, especially knowing how the defensive line coach likes things to be since I was under him before, and having a personal relationship with him besides me just being a player to him, I can contribute fast and having a coach like Coach Santana is a blessing,” Sledge explained.
Football runs in Enyce Sledge’s family, especially when it comes to his two uncles: DeQuinta Jones and Deddrick Jones. DeQuinta and Deddrick both played as defensive linemen, with the former representing Arkansas (2009-13) and the latter playing for Southern Miss (2008-11).
A 6-foot-3 athlete, Sledge is a big defensive lineman who is tough and athletic with great quickness. He played multiple positions up front helping Coach Jeff Tannehill and the Neville Tigers advance to the Class 4A semifinals as a junior and senior. He received plenty of recognition with his efforts, becoming a two-time first team all-district, team captain and second team all-NE Louisiana player.
Sledge was viewed as a consensus three-star prospect by recruiting outlets coming out of high school. On 247Sports, he has an 86 score as the 42nd-best player in the state of Louisiana and the 113th-best defensive lineman in the Class of 2022. He had multiple offers from Power Four teams like Minnesota, Oklahoma State, Purdue, West Virginia, Indiana, Kansas State, and Baylor among other schools before enrolling at Auburn in the summer of 2022.
Sledge has the strength to bully opposing linemen and the ability to pass rush at a high level, giving FAU a significant boost to an important aspect of their defense. He’s not emphasizing individual goals for himself; instead, he’s focused on having the team come together.
“We are going to have a lot of transfers, and having transfers coming from all these big schools or from schools in the same conference or from wherever, having a lot of individual success can be difficult to handle and I have seen it before,” Sledge stated.
“It’s really about us coming together and having a lot of chemistry and playing as 1. The team that can come together the fastest will be the most successful team and in today’s college football world, it’s about the portal so this is an important goal for me. But my goals individually, I’m really not a ‘talk about it’ guy; I’m more of a ‘put it into action’ type of guy. I don’t share my goals; I want to achieve with others.”
His highlights at Neville High School can be viewed below: