CJ Heard Safety 5-11, 193 lbs Woodward Academy Atlanta, GA The Florida Atlantic football team just added an amazing young talent to their secondary in CJ Heard, who forsook over 60 offers in favor of giving his pledge to the Owls. The highly sought after secondary member originally committed to Florida State University but later withdrew that nod and re-opened his recruitment. Heard took official visits to Eastern Carolina, Colorado, and UCLA facilities on Jan. 26, Feb. 1st, and Feb. 2nd, but ultimately preferred what head coach Tom Herman and his staff had to offer when he landed in Boca Raton on Feb. 3rd. Opting to keep his commitment to Florida Atlantic silent, he made his decision public on Saturday afternoon, giving the Owls another key member towards a rebuilding roster. “Two-way player that was deployed primarily at SAF as a senior at Woodward Academy,” said 247Sports’ Scouting Director Andrew Ivins. “In the 10-game regular season, totaled 41 tackles, 6 PBU and a FF on defense while also accounting for 141 yards of total offense per MaxPreps. Picked off a pass in the playoffs against Houston County.” Heard is rated as a high three-star recruit with an 87 score on 247Sports, being ranked the 73rd-best player at his position and the 93rd-best in the state of Georgia. According to his composite rating of 0.8794, he is 64th among all safeties, 76th in Georgia, and 654th in the country. Heard is now the 35th member of FAU’s expanding 2024 class. He chose the Owls over FSU, UCLA, Colorado, Liberty, and East Carolina among others. He is also the ninth defender of the Owls’ 2024 freshman class. While it remains to be seen whether he’ll play as a free safety or strong safety in the Owls’ defense, he is likely to see playing time and will be competing with fellow freshmen Michael Wright III and Kyle Boylston at the position. Heard’s senior season highlights at Woodward Academy can be seen below: Rick Henderson contributed to this report.
