FAU Football: End of Year Offensive Grades for 2024

It was a very interesting year for the FAU football program. Entering the 2024 regular season, the Owls had high expectations. With a solid recruiting class, a great transfer portal haul, and some continuity in the second year of head coach Tom Herman, the Owls were set up to compete for a spot in a bowl game. It was supposed to be a season where FAU took another step toward relevancy.

Unfortunately, that was the furthest thing from reality.

Florida Atlantic not only fell short of their expectations, but had a worse season than their 2023 campaign. Herman was fired with two weeks left in the year, and many of the team’s best contributors left in the transfer portal.

Specifically, on the offensive side of the ball, FAU was extremely inconsistent. During some weeks, they could move the ball with ease and put up points at will. Other times, the Owls could not get enough points to supplement their defense that got stops.

It was a frustrating, difficult, and disappointing season for FAU. But how did each unit on the offense contribute, or hurt, the Owls in 2024? That is what this article will look to answer. Follow along as we review the 2024 season that was for the Florida Atlantic offense.

FAU Football Offensive Grades

Quarterbacks: C

FAU’s quarterback position was emblematic of their overall struggles in the 2024 college football season.

After an off-season and pre-season competition, Marshall transfer Cam Fancher was awarded the starting job for the Owls. He was seemingly a perfect fit for Herman’s offense; with high-level rushing ability and a willingness to push the ball down the field, Fancher was supposed to be the player to elevate the offense. That promise was not fulfilled early on in the season.

Fancher, whether it was his decision or the play-calling given to him, was hesitant to throw the ball down the field. He consistently opted for checkdowns and quick routes; from Weeks 1-5, Fancher did not have an ADOT of over nine yards. His highest mark of this stretch came in Week 1, where he had an ADOT of 8.4.

Additionally, Fancher was very turnover-prone early on in the season. He had five interceptions compared to two touchdowns after Week 5, and he also had two fumbles running the ball. Fancher’s success in the early portion of the season came on the ground.

In that same stretch, he had 25o rushing yards and a touchdowns, consistently creating plays with his legs when the passing plays were not there. The ability was all there for Fancher, but he needed to eliminate mistakes and have the coaching prop him up a a bit more.

Fancher’s passing game production took a big step forward after the Wagner game; from Week 6 onward, the Marshall transfer had some of his best performances of his year. He racked up 351 yards and three touchdowns against North Texas, while also having 306 yards and a touchdown against USF. And despite struggling in the UTSA game, Fancher racked up 99 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

The same struggles, such as limited playcalling, sporadicness in the pocket, and turnovers, surrounded Fancher. However, he was playing with much more confidence. More times than not, he was uplifting the FAU offense and being a major reason why the Owls were scoring points. Despite a rocky start, things were finally flipping for Fancher and the offense.

And then disaster struck. Fancher injured his shoulder against East Carolina, effectively ending his season and FAU football career. The turnaround was completely halted, and freshman Kasen Weisman was called upon to take over.

Weisman was by no means a perfect quarterback when put into the starting lineup. He was erratic in the pocket at times and threw some passes that looked as if he was unsure of how to attack defenses. However, the former Colorado product got more comfortable as the year went on.

As the offense finally allowed him to attack down the field, Weisman showed that he has the skill to play at a high level. As a passer, he had five big-time throws through his final two games. His ADOT jumped up to over eight yards in both games as well. Furthermore, the team utilized his legs in an extended capacity; Weisman had over 30 rushing yards in both of his final appearances in 2024.

But just like Fancher, Weisman suffered an injury. He was knocked out of the Temple game with a lower-body injury, leaving Tyriq Starks as the starting quarterback.

Starks had a very similar trajectory to both Weisman and Fancher. He started off slow, as the coaching staff limited his play selection and made him live in short-yardage and high-percentage plays. But as the playbook opened up, Starks found his groove.

His throw-on-the-run fourth down conversion to wideout Omari Hayes against Temple was one of the best plays of the year for the Owls.

What an impressive display of body control by FAU’s Omari Hayes to put the Owls in scoring position late

pic.twitter.com/5fq8cuLe0e

— New Era Prep (@EraPrep) November 16, 2024

He consistently moved the chains for the Owls, resulting in points coming at a premium in the final two weeks of the season. And especially in the season finale against Tulsa, Starks looked like a player who can quarterback at a high level in college. Specifically, he had 294 yards and five touchdowns against the Golden Hurricane. He also added 52 yards rushing, giving him 300 all-purpose yards in the game.

Was the quarterback play stellar for the Owls in 2024? No. But between the flashes and plays Fancher, Weisman, and Starks made, there was potential to be unlocked from this room. Just like many other positions on the offense, the play-calling and player usage at quarterback severely limited the floor and ceiling this season.

The hope is that, under new head coach Zach Kittley, this position can become more consistent and productive. But when it comes to strictly 2024, the quarterback play was average, which is frustrating to see when there was potential for so much more.

Running backs: A

If there was one standout position for the Owls on offense in 2024, it would be the running backs. And the conversation begins with the breakout star of the season, C.J. Campbell Jr.

Campbell Jr. started the season in a committee with Zuberi Mobley. However, that quickly changed simply due to how electric the former Florida State Seminole was. The running back had four games of two rushing touchdowns and had five games where he averaged over six yards per carry. He had 47 missed tackles forced, 24 runs of 10 yards or more, and 662 of his 840 yards after contact. This does not even scratch the surface of his passing game contributions; Campbell Jr. had 467 yards receiving and three touchdowns through the air in 2024.

No matter what the Owls asked him to do, Campbell Jr. was a star at it. He was their entire offense at times and was the best friend to a quarterback room that had constant changes occurring.

However, Campbell was not the only contributor for the Owls at the running back position, which is impressive considering the teams’ overall record.

Mobley, when he had a chance to contribute, was very effective for FAU. He had 490 yards and four touchdowns on the ground while contributing 86 yards as a pass-catcher. Mobley churned out tough yardage, showed the ability to make defenders miss, and even displayed the speed to run away from would-be tacklers.

Gemari Sands flashed as a tough runner and showed off impressive receiving skills when given opportunities on the field. He finished the season with 117 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries. Xavier Terell showed upper-tier speed and the ability to run through tacklers; his main highlights came against Tulsa, where he had two carries for 148 yards and two touchdowns.

Even Kaden Shields-Dutton, who was reserved for special teams, showed nice flashes in extremely limited work on offense.

The Owls’ running back room was the lifeblood of the team’s 2024 offense. Between running work, passing work, and blocking, they drove the majority of success that the overall unit had.

Campbell Jr. entered the portal and is now a Rutgers Scarlet Knight. Mobley left the Owls to head to a fellow AAC team in the Tulane Green Wave. Yet despite these losses, the Owls’ running back room is in very, very solid shape. They get an A grade for the 2024 season.

Wide receivers and tight ends: C

In total, the production for FAU’s pass catchers was not great. However, for what it is worth, the production needs some important context.

The FAU football team only had one receiver go over 500 yards this season, which was Omari Hayes. Racking up 590 yards and three touchdowns, Hayes was the go-to target for the Owls whenever he was on the field. He created consistent separation, made contested grabs, and provided great explosiveness after the catch. Hayes had six games where he had four receptions or more, which signified what he meant to the Owls.

The issue, though, was that Hayes was not always available. And when Hayes was out, the other options struggled to replicate his production.

Jabari Smith Jr. was the closest player to doing so for the Owls. Across 10 games, he had 296 yards and three touchdowns. Just like Hayes, he was very explosive and dynamic with the ball in his hands. Smith Jr. had 144 yards after the catch and could have had much more if he had more targets.

Marlyn Johnson, Caleb Coombs, Jayshon Platt, Milan Tucker, and Dom Henry all flashed when they had the ball in their hands. However, they all saw very limited targets and playing time.

The same could be said for the tight ends. Wyatt Sullivan looked like a dynamic playmaker when targeted. However, he only had 26 targets and 13 catches on the entire season. Khalil Brantley, Zeke Moore, and even Elijah Brown dealt with the same issues at the position; they had the skill to produce as pass-catchers, but were relegated to blocking duty the majority of the time.

Unfortunately, the FAU system and injuries are to blame for the severe lack of production from the unit on this football team.

Head coach Tom Herman insisted on consistently rotating wideouts, no matter who it was. This never let any player get into a rhythm or develop chemistry with the starting quarterback. One could say that this “unique” style hurt the Owls ability to develop consistent targets on the outside.

Additionally, the scheme eliminated the tight ends until the end of the season. This is when the likes of Sullivan, Moore, and Brantley got to show off their skill, something that could have helped the Owls earlier in the season.

Add in multiple injuries to players like E.J. Horton, and you have a recipe for a very lackluster year for the pass-catchers. The grade comes in at a C, but it is fair to wonder how might higher it would have been with a different offensive scheme.

Offensive line: C-

FAU, throughout the football season, had a very up-and-down experience with their offensive line.

At some points of the year, the pass blocking was much better than the run blocking. An example of this would be the North Texas game; while C.J. Campbell had to work for his 89 yards, the line kept Cam Fancher upright and allowed him to throw for over 300 yards. In other games, the run blocking outpaced the pass blocking; while struggling with Charlotte’s pass rush, the Owls’ offensive line helped the team run for 350 yards.

How do results like this come to pass? It is due to a unit that simply could not fully overcome all of its obstacles.

Jordan Church and Federico Maranges led the way for the Owls, as both players had positive PFF blocking grades across the board. Maranges only allowed six pressures on 353 pass-blocking reps, while Church allowed three sacks in 404 opportunities.

Malcom Lamar Sr. struggled as a pass blocker, but graded out as an above-average run blocker. The opposite could be said for Andre Lamas; while he was an average run blocker, he was elite in pass protection, allowing only four pressures the entire season.

Some players struggled a bit all season; Alex Atcavage allowed 29 pressures this season, while Daughtry Richardson registered a 51.5 PFF run-blocking grade.

It is extremely important to note that other variables influenced the line’s season. Multiple players, such as Richardson and Maranges, dealt with injuries. The unit never had time to mesh until the end of the season, leading to miscommunications and penalties. The constant changes at quarterback led to players holding onto the ball too long, causing sacks and turnovers.

FAU’s unit had talent and still has talent, whether it is the starters or the players waiting in the wings. It just needs to be full developed and utilized, unlike what happened in the 2024 regular season.

Other thoughts

• The playcalling and overall player usage were abysmal on offense this season. Kittley making any improvements on this should help immensely.
• It took weeks for creativity to be inserted into the offense. That cannot be the case again.
• For large parts of the season, players were not being used to their strengths. This is an important key for FAU and every football program: Build the scheme around the players! Do not try to fit players within a scheme!

Overall Grade: C

FAU had and still has many great players on the football roster. Coach Kittley is in a great position to rebuild FAU relatively quickly and get them back to competitiveness weekly.

Yet from a 2024 perspective, so much was left on the field. From player usage to play-calling, the theme of this past season was a missed opportunities. Some of that is on the players, and some is on the coaching.

FAU cannot let another season like this happen to their football team anytime soon. To ensure that is the case, Kittley must see what Herman tried to accomplish and essentially to do the complete opposite. As a unit, the Owls’s offense gets a C grade from me.