In an exclusive interview with The League Winners, FAU Owls CB Cameron Goggins speaks about his football career and Florida Atlantic.
FAU football has had a litany of incoming transfers ahead of the 2024 season. On the defensive side, one of the more interesting transfers is cornerback Cameron Goggins. Goggins, who comes over from Georgia Military College (JUCO), faces a step up in competition playing in the American Athletic Conference. In an exclusive interview with The League Winners, Goggins discussed his playing career, Florida Atlantic, and much more.
Check out our EXCLUSIVE interview with @FAUFootball CB Cameron Goggins (@CameronGoggins1) as he enters his first season with Florida Atlantic.
He discusses his football journey, his transition to FAU from JUCO, & much more with @ThomasCP_NFL & @BPok24! #WinningInParadise pic.twitter.com/b6A7BXrt6L
— The League Winners (@FFLeagueWinners) July 29, 2024
Goggins began the interview discussing his recruitment process, and how the cornerback originally wanted to play at the wide receiver position entering college.
“My ninth grade year I played JV for a little bit and I got bumped up to varsity. I started playing corner there, in my ninth grade year. I’ve been playing DB all four years, but just like “Buggs”, I wanted to play receiver. But when I started getting recruitments and [things] started getting real, I had a higher ceiling at defensive back.”
Playing both positions in high school gave Goggins an edge as he transitioned to defense in college. When asked how that experienced helped him at cornerback, Goggins gave a thoughtful response.
“I would say on releases, knowing everything a wide receiver is going to do. Playing wide receiver [some things I can’t tell] what this is going to be, route concepts, quarterback timing – when stuff has to get out. Just knowing the position of the receiver it makes everything a lot slower at DB, because it’s hard doing all of that.”
Like every cornerback, there comes a time where they’re on an island against an opposing wide receiver. Goggins broke down what goes through his mind when he’s in those situations – especially in the red zone.
“In those situations, [where] I know it’s one-on-one, me versus him. And I don’t like losing, so it’s just like, I’ve got to win. I have to win. You get that loss as a DB and you get it pretty rough [from your teammates]. It’s almost as bad as the [scrutiny] quarterback’s get [when they make a bad play].
While some college football players don’t study film, the FAU cornerback ensured that he’s a student of the game. And to sharpen his skills, he’s constantly watching his opponents in order to get an edge.
“I definitely watch film. Trying to adjust mid-game [without watching film], you have to be pretty special to do that. Watching film, seeing splits, what routes they like to run and when they like to run it, even the little stuff. I pay attention to what the linemen do. You’ll pick up a lot of different things that are going to come your way. Looking at the linemen, [whether] their hand is down. Looking at the quarterback [because] he may be looking at the same receiver every time [he plans on] throwing a fade ball. It’s the little stuff that definitely helps when you watch film.”
Every player has their favorite play or coverage, and Goggins is no different. When asked about his favorite coverage to play, the Owls DB gave an answer worth listening to.
“I’d say man [coverage] – off-man, press. I’d say off-man is probably my favorite because you can make a lot more plays on the ball, picks and breaks. Press is hard, and you can get more breakups than in press. If you’re [playing] off-man, you get a chance to break on the ball, pick the ball off, take the ball out of the air, so definitely off-man.”
A big concern when teams look at cornerback play is their physicality. Not only against receivers, but in run support. However, Goggins has proven in his time at GMC that he doesn’t shy away from contact. Yet despite his prowess in a power position, the Florida Atlantic DB has a preference for playing on the outside.
“I personally prefer to play outside. In high school I had to play safety against some of the run-heavier teams. But if my team needs me to do it I’m willing to do it, of course. But personally, I like to stay on the outside.”
Before landing in FAU, Goggins played football at GMC, a Georgia-based JUCO. He gave his thoughts on the transition and difference in competition arriving with the Owls.
“It’s been a slow and steady process. I got here in the spring, so [in terms of] getting used to it, everything was way, way faster. Even workouts, the pace of the weight room, the run is faster, and get on the field it’s way faster. The competition is way higher. So it’s been a hard adjustment, to be real. When I first got here it was hard. But throughout the spring, it started to slow down a little bit for me, get a little easier.”
Building off of that, Goggins explained what he’s looking forward to the most playing in the AAC.
“The American conference is one of the better Power 5 conferences. Being able to play at a high level and show that I can play with people in this conference that have been in this conference. Coming from JUCO, you kind of get this underdog mentality. A lot of people think JUCO isn’t real football. So proving myself, proving that I can play with these guys too.”
With that type of mentality, the FAU product listed what his goals are for the upcoming football season.
“To be as productive as possible. I don’t like to put a certain stat or limit or ceiling on my stats. I just like to go out there and play football. To be really productive and don’t give up any big plays. No touchdowns, for sure. If I had one goal, I would say to not give up any touchdowns.”
In a similar question that was asked to his teammate Kahzir Brown during an interview with The League Winners, Goggins was asked who he would like to have mentor him at the position. And the Owls’ DB didn’t hesitate to give his answer.
“Definitely [Jalen] Ramsey. He’s the best. Of course older guys, I respect them like [Charles] Woodson, [Darrelle] Revis, [Champ] Bailey, all of those old guys, but I never got to see them play. Really understanding and watching DB’s play like Ramsey – he’s the one. He does everything. There’s no flaw in his game. Everything he’s good at – from off-man, to press, to tackling. He’s good at everything.”
When asked if he had a game circled on the schedule, Goggins gave some interesting insight.
“Really a lot of the conference games. They’ve got us ranked like sixth in the conference. So all of those conference games, the teams they have above us. It’s not even just me having these games specifically circled, but the team. We got to go in with a chip on our shoulder. Sixth? Sixth is crazy. Especially with teams that are just now getting in the conference, teams we beat last year. Nobody knows who we are as a team. We have almost an entirely new team. I’m ready for conference games, for sure. I think Week 2 is Army, so that’ll be the first game circled for sure.”
Coming in from Georgia Military College, Goggins has an underdog mentality with the ability to provide a huge boost to the FAU secondary in 2024. And while it may be a step up in competition, if Goggins is able to perform at a high level, it will bode well for the Owls’ chances this season.
