Florida Atlantic Owls.
Lane Kiffin’s personality stepped foot on a campus that was only 3.8 miles away from the beach.
Kiffin finished what the pundits predicted would only be his first season with an 11-3 record.
Now his presence starts a riot. His swag they will try to buy it.
Kiffin proved again; he can coach. There was roller coaster history before he took his talents to Boca Raton however he does not bend or break because he is currently at the right spot. This is what FAU dreamed of when Kiffin signed to be their head coach.
Let’s start with the offense.
For this side of the ball to improve, the team may have to average 50 points a game and this is with a new offensive coordinator. Last season, the offense averaged over 40 points per game and was unstoppable after the first month of the season. The most underrated player in the country star RB Devin Singletary back is back for the Owls. He deserves eyes on him for the Heisman trophy.
Almost all the key receivers are ready to flourish in the offense. There will be whispers at the quarterback position as former Florida State University Seminole De’Andre Johnson is ready. He will be back in the spotlight after being kicked off the FSU team for punching a woman; the decision to add Johnson reportedly had to be cleared by those above Kiffin. The line needs to replace a few starters, but it’s active at the tackles.
Kiffin won 11 games as the offensive mind of his team last season. He hired on Charlie Weis Jr. as the new offensive coordinator. Will the 24-year-old make the team that much better? The head coach and talent are there for support. The pressure is on to not screw up an attack that cranked out close to 500 yards.
The defense is more in-depth and far more experienced, welcoming back a slew of all-stars among the ten returning starters. Kiffin added a new defensive coordinator also in Tony Pecoro who comes in from Southern Miss. The Owl defense wasn’t always dominant but got better as the season went on, took the ball away at an alarming rate, and led Conference USA in sacks. They are expected to be improved.
One standout on defense is linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair who led the team in tackles from his spot in the middle. But the secondary is expected to be exciting to watch especially in their play in the season opener visiting the Oklahoma Sooners.
The secondary had with a whopping 20 interceptions, Jalen Young led the way with seven from his strong safety spot. He’s the best of the group, but running mate Andrew Soroh is a playmaker at free safety, too. All four starters were on the All-Conference USA team, with the corner combination of Chris Tooley and Shelton Lewis coming into the season with a combined 62 games of experience.
The defense will continue its success as long the offense keeps racking up those points on the board.
All the pieces will be there for the Owls to be better. But a repeated 11-3 record will be expected. With losses to Oklahoma, UCF and Air Force. A sleeper game against a dangerous Middle Tennessee on the road the Owls can’t afford to lose.
Overall, it will be a beach party.
