Tuesday marked day six of Florida Atlantic football training camp and the Owls got to work under the hot South Florida sun after days of gloom and rain during practice. Today we shift our focus over the Tight End unit, where like many position groups on this team, has showcased its depth throughout practice. Tight Ends Returners: Wyatt Sullivan – 6’4″ Redshirt-Sophomore 5 REC, 29 YDS Kahlil Brantley – 6’2″ Redshirt-Junior 5 REC, 35 YDS Zeke Moore – 6’2″ Sophomore 13 REC, 66 YDS Elijah Brown – 6’6″ Redshirt-Sophomore Newcomers: Kam Bell 6’4″ – Sophomore As previously mentioned, the tight end room has showcased its depth so far throughout fall camp. A nice change of pace from last season where Coach Herman had to play a true freshman in Zeke Moore due to injuries in the tight end unit. This season Coach Herman now has the option to play more than just Zeke Moore, with Wyatt Sullivan, Elijah Brown, and Kahlil Brantley if he’s healthy all able to play and make an impact. Coach Herman touched on the depth of the tight end room in a post practice press conference on Tuesday. Accordingly all returning unit members should see time throughout the season at varying points. Newcomer Cam Bell was originally slated to join the team next season but when a spot opened up early he eagerly jumped at the chance to get time under his belt in the summer workout and camp cycle. He will likely use this season as a growth period, but could see time given a necessity. “They made unbelievable strides in so many different areas, when Kahlil was healthy and going, I think Coach Frye and myself felt like we had four capable tight ends in Zeke, Wyatt, EB (Elijah Brown), and Kahlil”, Coach Herman noted. Coach Herman raved about the position as a whole going into this season. Zeke Moore proved as a freshman he was capable of helping the offense last season, and the development of the rest of the tight end room has made that a strength of the offense. The Owls now have a major shift in the offense with their being another three tight ends to potentially play, rather than just a lone true freshman. “We went from having to play a true freshman, which he proved we can play winning offense with him, to having four guys who can play,” Coach Herman added in the post practice press conference. Zeke Moore: Coming into his Sophomore season with the Owls, Zeke Moore has a unique opportunity to use what he learned last season in Coach Herman’s offense to help himself and the rest of the tight end room develop further. As a true freshman receiving the most playing time last season in that spot, Moore will certainly be relied upon to be a leader among the group. Moore touched on what he wanted to improve upon regarding his individual development in the post practice press conference on Tuesday. Quotable: “A little bit of everything, that kind of comes with maturity, but definitely my role in receiving, playing H-back, just really mastering that”, Moore said. Wyatt Sullivan: For Wyatt Sullivan, it’s year three with FAU, and his second season with Coach Herman. The 6’4″ Redshirt-Sophomore came into FAU with the mindset of playing Wide Receiver, which quickly turned to him playing tight end. Since the transition, Sullivan has put on weight and now has a build more fitted for the tight end position, where he’ll be coming into a bigger role this season. Sullivan’s physique change is not the only noticeable change to him however, noting the change of culture over the last few seasons in the post practice press conference. Quotable: “I’d say the vibe from this year to my first year is night and day. The personalities mesh better, everyone’s friends, you see people hanging out outside of football, people get work in outside of football and people aren’t hating on each other, everybody just wants to win”, Sullivan said. Kahlil Brantley: Redshirt-Junior Kahlil Brantley enters his second season with Coach Herman and the FAU Owls. While it’s expected for Brantley to have a much bigger role this season, there is one question mark and that’s his health. Coach Herman mentioned in the post practice press conference that Brantley’s been dealing with an injury, but hopes to get him back going in practice next week. When asked about what his goal was for the 2024 season, Brantley emphasized the importance of him being able to stay on the field. Quotable: “Staying healthy and being able to help my teammates out, whatever I can do for the team, I’m there for it”, Brantley noted. Elijah Brown: The fourth tight end in the rotation Coach Herman eluded to was Alabama transfer and Redshirt-Sophomore Elijah Brown (photo below Rick Henderson). At 6’6″ and 250 pounds, Brown’s physique and frame is built for this offense, and Owls fans should be excited for what he can bring to this team this season. In year two of the Tom Herman Era, the tight end room should look night and day to last season. Owl Bytes Newfound depth For the first time at FAU in the Tom Herman Era, the tight end room has discovered some newfound depth. If Brantley’s healthy, the Owls will go into the season with a rotation of possibly four tight ends (Zeke Moore, Elijah Brown, Wyatt Sullivan, and Kahlil Brantley). Culture Change Continuity There are a lot of new faces to the Owls this season as well with it being the second year with Tom Herman at Head Coach. With that, there’s a new sense of diversity to the team, and players have raved about the relationship they have with one another. Unlike recent seasons, this is a consistent theme that is announced, proclaimed, and observed throughout media sessions daily – solidifying it’s legitimacy. Coaches Corner Coach Tom Herman headlined our interview sessions today. Up Next The Owls will remain at the Tom Oxley athletic fields for the remainder of the week, and will be in full pads again tomorrow. Our team will be taking a look at the kicking game – including punters and kickers.
