Posts from August 2011

FAU's baseball team decided to eschew style for solidarity on Wednesday, when every member of the squad sat down to have their heads shaved.

The Owls made the decision as a team after learning that Cody Meiers, younger brother of FAU pitcher Jake Meiers, had been diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, a kind of bone cancer. Cody is currently undergoing chemotherapy.

“I feel like a lot of people are here for me now,” said Cody (top photo, standing behind his father, John), who would have been a junior at Palm Beach Central High School this year, but has to take at least a semester off because of the treatment.

“When I was in the hospital, it was good to know people were thinking about me.”

Cody has undergone as many as five chemotherapy treatments a week.

Wednesday was one of the rare times since treatment began that he's been able to spend any great length of time in public. That's him in the second photo taking the razor to Bo Logan.

Stylists from Geared for Men helped with the design.

“It's awesome,” Jake (bottom right photo) said. “We're one big family. One kid does, it everybody does it.”

FAU coach John McCormack was one of the first to get buzzed (bottom left photo).

He seemed pretty pleased that the Owls decided to help a member of baseball's extended family.

“Anything we can do to help any of our players' families – or anybody for that matter - is good,” McCormack said. Then chuckled, “I think we will all be better looking, too.”

Note: To make a donation toward Cody's medical bills go to www.CodysAngels.com 

The Swamp left one lasting memory with FAU punter Mickey Groody.

“It's probably the loudest place that I've ever played,” Groody said on Tuesday.

There weren't many highlights for Groody from that trip to Gainesville in 2007. A blocked punt returned by the Gators for a touchdown contributed to a 59-20 FAU loss that mid-November day.

Groody and long snapper Morgan Barnett are the only current Owls who played in that game.

“That was an experience,” recalls Barnett. “We had to go hand motion (to signal the snap) in that game because you couldn't hear the cadence.”

Both players enter Saturday's game under different circumstances than five years ago. As a freshman Groody expected to be the full-time punter but really didn't have a stranglehold on the job until a few games before the Florida game.

Now Groody is one of the top punters in the nation. The above video is a feature about Groody that aired during  The Howard Schnellenberger Show last year.For those who didn't catch it when it first aired, we put a wireless mic on Groody and had him talk us through the rugby punts that have become his specialty. Pretty cool.

Barnett heads into his senior year trying to remain healthy. Back injuries have kept him out of most of the past two years. Now Barnett is in a battle with Tim Raber to be the long snapper on punts. Last season, Raber showed a propensity for getting downfield and making tackles on punts, something that is surely factoring into the decision.

Special teams coach Joe Corozza did say that Barnett will be the long snapper on place kicks.

When they go through warm-ups on Saturday, the two special teamers will know more than most any other Owl how to deal with the roar when the Gators take the field for the first time in 2011.

“It's definitely intimidating,” Groody said. “You have to get focused back on what you've got to do.”

Owl Links
Owl Access.com
On Tuesday we launched the first of our two-part question and answer session with FAU President Mary Jane Saunders. She has some interesting – and encouraging – ideas for what makes the athletic program vital to the university and where the program is heading. ...We also kicked off the first week of the football season by checking out Alfred Morris' new leadership philosophy.

Other linkage
The Sun-Sentinel says it's not good that FAU is facing the Gators in Will Mushchamp's debut. ...The Orlando Sentinel says former QB Jordan Reed is adjusting to playing tight end for Florida. ...Gainesville Sun looks at Florida TE Jordan Reed
 

The goal posts at FAU Stadium are firmly planted in the ground.

This weekend FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger said the battle was still on between redshirt junior Vinny Zaccario and true freshman Marcelo Bonani.

FAU just announced it will hold its official watch parties at the Deerfield Beach Duffy's this season and with a slew of TV games on the schedule, Owl fans should get familar to this location, which is just south of the Boca Raton-Deerfield Beach line on Federal Highway.

FAU encourages you to call the Deerfield Beach Duffy's at (954) 429-8820 for information about each game, but this week's game at UF is on ESPNU so the first party could be this week for Owl fans who aren't going to Gainesville.

FAU also announced the "Football Coach's Show,"Howard Schnellenberger's radio call-in show on ESPN760, will originate from the Duffy's in Boca Raton from 6-7 each Thursday.

Here's the official release from FAU...

A team from the Sun Belt Conference could play an extra game each season as part of an “invitational” game against a team from another conference near the end of the regular season if a proposal in front of the NCAA is approved.

The Sun Belt Conference is sponsoring an NCAA proposal that would allow teams from conferences that don’t have a championship game to play a game at the end of the season in lieu of a championship game.

“What it’s about is leveling the playing field when it comes to the number of games played,” Sun Belt Commissioner Wright Waters told OwlAccess.com.

The proposed game would provide conferences with fewer than 12 members – currently the minimum to play host to a championship game – to have an extra game to generate revenue, interest and add visibility.

The game would pit a team from one conference against a team from another conference, but Waters stopped short of saying it would have the champions of leagues going against each other.

“We’re not ready to go down that road yet,” Waters said.

Currently the conferences which don’t have a championship game are the Big East, Big 12, the Mountain West and the WAC.

Sounds like a pretty interesting concept and you have to give credit to Waters and the Sun Belt for thinking outside the box. The case could be made that a team from the Sun Belt meeting a WAC team wouldn’t garner much attention, but it would probably be at least as compelling as the MAC or C-USA Championship game. The proposal also opens up the door for perhaps a team from the Big East facing a team from the Big 12 on the final Saturday of the season when the SEC and other leagues hold their championship games.

It at least gives teams in leagues like the Sun Belt a shot at having an extra game, where none existed before.

“There are a lot of moving parts, but the best thing to do is just put it out there and see what the membership thinks,” Waters said.

Owl Links

Owl Access

We took a look at the tight end position, which has two key players battling injuries. 

Other linkage

The Gainesville Sun has a nice story on Schnellenberger heading back to Florida Field. ...The Sun-Sentinel saysTE Nexon Dorvilus is making progress. ...
 

With the grass laid down at FAU Stadium, it won’t be long before paint is applied and the actual field is ready.

A week from today FAU fans will be looking toward Gainesville for the Owls' season opener against Florida.

When the Owls take the field, no one will have anticipated that moment more than FAU linebacker Martin Wright.

For those unfamiliar with Wright's story, he committed to the University of Florida, planning to join the Gators' 2007 recruiting class. He never made it to Gainesville, though. We documented his troubles with the law and subsequent redemption in this story we wrote a year ago.

Wright still remembers how the Gators turned their backs on him.

“I just want to show them that I'm back,” Wright said on Friday. “I'm here. I didn't go anywhere. It was just a little stumbling block. I'm back on the road.”

Wright believes he has plenty to show the Gators. A defensive end throughout high school, Florida coaches projected him as a linebacker in college. Wright wasn't too sure that was a move he wanted to make.

When Wright (at right in photo) joined FAU, the Owls slotted him at defensive end, where he played in 10 games last year as a sophomore, recording 17 tackles.

As part of FAU's switch from to the 3-4 defense, this will be Wright's first year at linebacker.

“(Florida) wanted me to play linebacker when I talked to them,” Wright said. “That's why this game is personal. Real personal.”

As personal as it may be, Wright is still planning to share the experience with his family. He's expecting about 50 of them to make the trip to Gainesville.

Wright is vowing their trip won't be a waste of time.

“There's going to be some hard hitting and repercussions,” he said. “There's going to be some trouble – real trouble. If I play every game like I'm going to play the Florida game, we'll be a good team.”

Owl Links

Owl Access
On the football front, we looked at the positive reaction the players provided upon learning that Graham Wilbert had been selected starting quarterback. On the baseball side, we caught up with the newly promoted Paul Davis for our Former Owl Friday segment.

Other linkage
The Palm Beach Post offered their analysis of FAU's schedule and answered five questions about the Owls....The Sun-Sentinel says FAU defensive players have been scouting the Gators for weeks.

With Florida Atlantic switching from training camp to preparation for Florida, the post training-camp depth chart has been released.

• LT: Sam McRoy / DeAndre Williams
• LG: Andy Czurpynski / Troy Niblack
• C: Jimmie Colley / Jordan Sessa
• RG: Erik Hansen / Chris Newbold
• RT: Max Karrick / Joe Bailey
• TE: Darian Williams / Nexon Dorvilus
• WR: DeAndre Richardson / Paul Moore
• WR: Marcus Cunningham / Jerrard Hunter
• QB: Graham Wilbert / David Kooi
• RB: Alfred Morris / Willie Floyd
• FB: Xavier Stinson / Chris Jackson

• DE: Kevin Cyrille / David Baptiste
• NT: Jarvis Givens / Jimmy Jean
• DE: Jamere Johnson/ David Baptiste
• OLB: Cory Henry / Martin Wright
• ILB: Toney Moore / Conard Johnson
• MLB: David Hinds / Michael Copeland
• OLB: Randell Johnson / Martin Wright
• CB: Keith Reaser / Curtis Cross
• FS: Marcus Bartels / Brian Sirmans
• SS: Demetrius Williamson / Brentley Harstad
• CB: Treon Howard / Christian Milstead

The college football landscape was turned on its ear when Texas announced plans to launch The Longhorn Network.

There was a definite shift on the Oxley Practice Fields on Wednesday as the Owls switched from training camp mode to preparation for Florida, the Owls’ opponent in the season-opener on Sept. 3.

Howard Schnellenberger vs. Bobby Bowden? A match-up in FAU's new on-campus stadium might be only a few months away.

In Monday's Football in Paradise series highlighting different aspects of FAU's new stadium, I wrote that one potential event that could be held in the new stadium is a college all-star game.

Here's some more info.

The planned Battle of Florida will pit college all-stars from the northern part of Florida against their brethren from the south. A source with knowledge of the game said that Bowden, a former Florida State coach, has agreed to coach the north all-stars. It is expected that Schnellenberger, who led Miami to its first national championship and recently announced this would be his final year as coach at FAU, will coach the south. Bowden and Schnellenberger had some good matchups when Miami played Florida State in the late 70s and early 80s before Schnellenberger left Miami.

Players who attended high school or college in Florida are eligible for the game, and I'm told there will be a few interesting quirks to the rosters that are still being discussed.

The group putting together the game has reserved FAU's stadium for Jan. 21, 2012 and a source said they already have a national television contract.

Event organizers are hoping to have an official announcement about the game shortly before the Owls open the season in Gainesville at the University of Florida.

Owl Links
Owl Access

Owl Access readers were the first to learn when we broke the news that Howard Schnellenberger had selected Graham Wilbert to be the starting quarterback against Florida. Several hours later Schnellenberger confirmed the choice for the rest of the media.

Other Linkage:

Here's the Sun-Sentinel story about the QB selection.

FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger’s decision to have quarterback Graham Wilbert really shouldn't have been that difficult.

Not only did Wilbert outperform David Kooi in the spring and in the first weeks of pre-season training camp, but seems to have the demeanor to stay calm when things go bad.

Kooi, on the other hand, is more prone to try and force a big play when one is not there.

Behind this offensive line? Advantage: Wilbert.

Kooi has skills and throws a nice ball, but Wilbert is less prone to make a mistake.

Like all decisions like this, it will be evaluated and re-evaluated after each game, but starting off the season with Wilbert under center and letting him run the offense until further notice seems right.

Redshirt junior Graham Wilbert has earned the starting job and will be Florida Atlantic’s starting quarterback for the Owls in their season-opener at Florida, team sources said Tuesday.

FAU coach Howard Schnelleberger could make an announcement on the starter after Tuesday's practice.

Wilbert started the practice by taking snaps with the first team.

He won the job over David Kooi, also a red-shirt junior.

In spring drills Wilbert moved ahead in a battle to replace Jeff Van Camp, who graduated. Wilbert broke a finger in the Spring Game, but entered camp still ahead of Kooi, Schellenberger said.

In pre-season training camp, Wilbert and Kooi both struggled but both were given opportunities to run the first team offense.

Wilbert, who will be making his first career start, has completed just one of five passes for 41 yards in his career

With Monday's news of a hurricane potentially approaching the area, I figured there might be a sense of panic descending on the FAU stadium construction site.

That was not the case. In fact, the atmosphere couldn't have been more business-as-usual.

“The building, we are not worried about,” Balfour Beatty Operations Manager Chris Long said. “If a storm blows through now it's not going to hurt anything. Any loose materials we have outside are the main concern, now.”

Recent projections for Hurricane Irene have it missing South Florida, which is nice. But for those who are wondering about the next potential hazard, Balfour Beatty's plan is to monitor each storm but wait to act until the area is placed under a hurricane warning.

At that point, the crews go into storm mode.

“Trees that we don't have braced, we need to get them braced,” Long said. “Materials that are on the ground, we need to get them bundled up so that they can't blow away.”

Crews began installing the panels for the video board on Monday and were still making progress Tuesday morning (photo) which would seem like really bad timing for a wind storm, but Long says that once a panel is attached to the mount, it will be able to withstand the kinds of winds a storm like Irene would bring.

At this point, Long would be more concerned about losing man hours than any potential damage to the stadium.

“Are workers able to return to work is the main thing,” he said. “People aren't going to come to work if they are going to take care of their family.”

Owl Links
Owl Access

Football had the day off from practice, but that's OK. It simply gave FAU fans more time to digest our weekly Football in Paradise stadium series, which examined some of the other events that could potentially find a home on the Boca Raton campus. Monster trucks, anyone?

Other linkage

The University Press reports that Thursday's bonfire will be postponed. ...The Sun Sentinel says the defensive switch to a 3-4 defense looks good.

If Owl fans were too busy reading about strippers, hookers and yacht parties last week they may have missed a very nice piece on ESPN.com by recruiting analyst Corey Long, who has been covering Florida high schools for a number of years.

FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger wasn’t exactly pleased with his team’s performance in Saturday’s FanFest.

With FAU holding its FanFest scrimmage today at 2 p.m., many Owl fans will get their first opportunity to see the new on-campus stadium.

I've been saying for months now that this stadium is truly impressive and FAU fans will be thrilled on Oct. 15 when they enter it for that first home game.

We've spent a lot of time highlighting the stadium features, but one of the questions we're asked frequently involves stadium naming rights.

With less than two months remaining until the opening FAU opens its new on campus stadium, Florida Atlantic officials remain hopeful they will be able to get a naming rights deal for the stadium in place for the opener.

Multiple sources have confirmed that FAU has engaged in extensive discussions with Ed Morse Automotive Group about the possibility of being the stadium's title sponsor. Among those also being pursued are Office Depot, Aflac and Dex Imaging.

The Owls would like to have a deal in place prior to that Oct. 15 opening date, but that is not a hard deadline. If the Owls have to wait a few extra weeks to secure a long term deal, it will.

The stadium naming rights will provide a large chunk of money that the Owls can put toward the roughly $2.5 million it owes the bank each year as part of the stadium financing debt. The naming rights are currently listed by FAU at $10 million.

Ed Morse would make sense. The regional auto group has several dealerships strewn across South Florida. Office Depot is headquartered in Boca Raton and Dex Imaging is already a prominent FAU sponsor.

Based in the southeast United States, Aflac is a sponsoring partner of the Heisman trophy. I'm told there is no truth to the rumor (which I started) that part of that deal would include FAU changing its nickname from the Owls to the Ducks.

Owl Talk

OwlAccess.com
We looked ahead to today's FanFest scrimmage by highlighting corner back Christian Milstead, who will likely see significant time in the secondary on Saturday. We also continued our Former Owl Friday series by checking in with recent grad Raymond Church.

Other linkage
The Sun-Sentinel says the Owls will try to avoid turnovers.

FAU Athletic Director Craig Angelos received “about 10” phone calls concerning the Owls upcoming football coaching vacancy in the week that followed Howard Schnellenberger's announcement that the 2011 season would be his last as head coach at Florida Atlantic.

Angelos (left) said the calls were either from people expressing interest in the job, or recommending someone for the position. He declined to name any of the potential candidates.

The relatively low number of inquiries so far didn't surprise Angelos.

“Because people know it's not going to happen until the end of the season, they are taking it slow,” he said.

Angelos also added that “most” of those who made contact already had coaching positions for this season.

The Owls have yet to determine who will be on the search committee that will select the new coach. Angelos expects to talk with FAU President Mary Jane Saunders in the coming days to start the process of creating that committee.

FAU kicks off its 11th season of football on Sept. 3 at Florida. Howard Schnellenberger is the only coach in program history. On Aug. 11 Schnellenberger announced this season would be his last as head coach. Following the season, Schnellenberger will become an “ambassador” for FAU, aiding in fundraising.

FAU Athletic Director Craig Angelos was at a luncheon in Broward County the day after Yahoo! Sports published its story linking an out of control booster to payments of UM basketball and football players.

Howard Schnellenberger is among those who are stunned and saddened by the extent of the potential violations reportedly committed over the past decade at the University of Miami – a school he led to its first national title in 1983.

“It's just beyond my wildest dreams that anything like that could happen,” Schnellenberger said.

Speaking after Thursday's practice for the first time since announcing his retirement a week ago, Schnellenbeger appeared disappointed that one person could do so much damage to a program.

On Tuesday Yahoo! Sports published a lengthy article detailing the actions of former Hurricanes booster Nevin Shapiro, who says he provided current and former Miami players with money, lavish parties, prostitutes and, in one instance, an abortion.

Shapiro is currently serving a 20-year prison term for his role in a Ponzi scheme.

The extent of the violations, which reportedly involved coaches on the football and basketball staffs as well, have many speculating that the NCAA could hand the Hurricanes the so-called death penalty, forcing them to close the program for a year or longer.

That's not something Schnellenberger would like to see.

“Of course not,” he said. “I want them to pay their punishment and get back about their business.”

Schnellenberger hasn't been forced to deal with individuals like Shapiro in the Owls' 12-year history. Despite the potential pitfalls, Schnellenberger said he still believes that boosters are necessary not only for an athletic program, but also the institutions as a whole.

He recalled that the national championship at Miami helped the school surpass a newly launched capital campaign significantly faster than had been hoped.

Scnellenberger also pointed to the generosity T. Boone Pickens has shown Oklahoma State.

“That much money made such a major difference not only in sports but in the university itself,” said Schnellenberger, referring to Pickens' support of the Cowboys. “The good that it has done far surpasses what the down sides are. You have to believe that or it's hard to make sense out of anything. I'm absolutely certain of that.”

At around 6:01 p.m. today you may hear a loud cheer near the runway of the Boca Raton Airport.

• Nosetackle Jarvis Givens was carted off the field near the end of practice on Wednesday, but was back this morning. That's a very good thing for the Owls' defensive line. Defensive end Jamere Johnson has also been banged up and with Johnson’s backup, Andrew Stryffler also limited, redshirt sophomore David Baptiste has been running with the starting unit the last two days.
• FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger was not on the field for this morning’s practice, but theoretically, he could watch from his office, which overlooks the practice field. I know I’d rather watch in air-conditioned comfort.
• Tight end Darian Williams missed the end of the practice to have his ankle worked on, giving Nexon Dorvilus and Alex DeLeon some increased snaps with the first team.
• It was raining at the beginning of practice, throwing water on the argument for moving practices to the morning to avoid rain.

Though the class is still small and the timing is still early, it appears Howard Schnellenberger's retirement announcement last week isn't harming the recruiting work the Owls have accomplished so far.

On Saturday we told FAU fans that Delray Beach-Atlantic wide receiver Chad Ward committed to the Owls, becoming the second member of Florida Atlantic's 2012 recruiting class.

The first member of the class, Sugar Land, Texas-Kempner defensive lineman Shalom Ogbonda, says Schnellenberger's announcement doesn't affect his commitment to the Owls.

“It hasn't changed anything,” said Ogbonda, who is already making plans to watch the Sept. 3 FAU at Florida game on television.

“At first I was kind of disappointed. I wanted to be under his leadership. He's had an excellent career. ..I believe he will leave the program in good hands and it's going to be in a good position once I get there.”

Schnellenberger's announcement likely wasn't even the worst moment for Ogbonda last week. The Texas heat wave got the better of Ogbonda, forcing him to spend several nights in the hospital.

“I dehydrated in practice,” Ogbonda said. “The trainer told me to drink water and I didn't think I should drink that much water in that amount of time, and I ended up passing out.”

Another player who isn't planning on changing his mind is Navarre quarterback Colton Kane (photo). A grayshirt from the 2011 recruiting class, Kane still intends to enroll at FAU in January.

“It didn't necessarily surprise me,” Kane said. “He's definitely built a legacy. I can't blame him for wanting to retire. I'm just excited to see who FAU gets to take over his position.”

Kane made the most of his summer, spending three weeks in Costa Rica.

Upon returning to Florida, Kane began working out with a local training outfit and even threw some passes with former FAU quarterback Jeff Van Camp, also a Navarre High School alum. Lately Kane's been trying to help out at the football team at his former school.

“I'm kind of itching to playing some football,” Kane said.

Like Ogbonda, Kane is keeping track of the Owls' progress and is already planning to attend as many home games as possible – starting with the Oct. 15 stadium opener against Western Kentucky.

“It  wasn't just because of coach Schnellenberger that made me choose FAU,” Kane said. “It was the direction of the whole program. I don't regret my decision to go to FAU at all.”

Owl Links

FAUOwlAccess.com

The Owls conducted their third of four scheduled three-a-day practices on Tuesday. Even though rain shortened the final session, we were still there to tell FAU fans about the progress of true freshman wide receiver William Dukes.

Other linkage

• The Sun-Sentinel pointed out there are four FAU players in NFL training camps.

Florida Atlantic head coach Howard Schnellenberger wasn't about to let a little thing like hip surgery keep him away from his football team.

After talking to his team on Monday, Schnellenberger watched much of Monday's practice from the Oxley Center balcony (photo, right). For those doing the math, that's less than 72 hours after undergoing hip replacement surgery.

“I wasn't surprised,” quarterback Graham Wilbert said. “He's generally a tough guy. If he gets knocked over at practice he won't let anyone else help him up. He's gotta show that he's tough. He came in and had his walker and he threw it to the side and was standing there talking to us - and he had surgery like two days ago.”

Am I the only one wondering whether he even let the doctors give him anesthesia?
Schnellenberger wasn't at his perch for the first of Tuesday's three-a-days, but is expected in the Oxley Center for at least one, if not both of the remaining sessions.

“It's good to have him out here again,” said assistant head coach Kurt Van Valkenburgh who is running the team on the field until Schnellenberger returns.

“We had him back a little quicker than we expected - a little quicker than doctors expected, I'm sure. But I guess we should have expected it by now.”

Incidentally, Van Valkenburgh seemed a little more pleased with the Owls' concentration and effort following the first practice on Tuesday then he did after Monday's practice, which he called an “off day.”

A couple observations from Tuesday's first practice (photo, below):

• Several groups of players and coaches took to the field while talking about former FAU wide receiver Lestar Jean's performance last night on national television. For those who missed it, Jean caught both passes thrown his way, tallying 53 yards for the Houston Texans. Neither catch was easy, and the second one – originally ruled a touchdown before moved back six inches by replay - set up the winning score. It will take more than two good catches to make the team, but last night certainly helped Jean's cause tremendously. The ESPN announcers were full of complements for Jean. Even if the Texans don't keep him, certainly some other NFL team saw last night that Jean can play at the highest level.
• We've reached the part of camp where the nagging injures are starting to pile up, and nowhere is the soreness becoming more apparent than on the defensive line. With Jamere Johnson, Jimmy Jean and Andrew Stryffler all missing at least part of Monday's first session, true freshmen Robinson Eugene, Joe Henry and Matt Chaney saw time with the second team.
• Linebacker Randall Johnson and cornerback Keith Reaser both left Monday's practice early with injuries and weren't present for Tuesday's first workout. Martin Wright and Curtis Cross benefited with extra playing time.
• Plenty of activity over at the soccer field, where Fox Soccer Channel is setting up to broadcast Wednesday's magicJack playoff game.
• And looking ahead a bit, FAU has set the time for Saturday's Fan Fest scrimmage at 2 p.m.

Owl links -  Articles of interest to FAU fans
FAUOwlAccess.com

• We continued our series examining FAU's new on-campus stadium by taking a look at the benefits of the Owls' new locker room.
• In the afternoon we talked with Avionne Rolle, who has rejoined the Owls for his senior season and could be a contributor on special teams.

Other linkage:
The Sun Sentinel says Joe Henry is moving up the depth chart.

When Atlantic wide receiver Chad Ward told our Chuck King on Saturday that he would be committing to Florida Atlantic later in the day, it was a bit perplexing.

After Friday’s scrimmage and Saturday’s walk-through it’s back to the grind for Florida Atlantic, which took the field shortly after 8 a.m. for the first of three practices today.

• The assistant coaches haven’t missed a beat, but it can’t be easy for them knowing the likelihood of wholesale changes on the staff coming when FAU brings in a new coach to replace Schnellenberger. One assistant coach told us “it’s part of the job.” However, it must be difficult for the families of most of the coaches, but so far, it doesn’t seem to bleed over to the practice field.
• A couple of players were struggling with the heat and were sent inside, but that should be expected. When practice was over I checked the temperature at the adjacent Boca Raton airport. It was 81 degrees, but the humidity was a brutal 89 percent.
• The only starter who wasn’t a “full go” was defensive end Kevin Cyrille. Fullback Xavier Stinson was back at practice after missing Friday’s scrimmage with an undisclosed “slight” injury.
• The third practice of the day should be interesting with the magicJack facing Philadelphia Independence at 4 p.m. at the adjacent FAU Soccer Stadium. The last few matches have had large crowds of around 3,500 fans and should make for a loud setting while the Owls go through practice at the time the match kicks off.

Those who thought FAU Athletic Director Craig Angelos would be high-tailing it down the Overseas Highway down to Key West on Friday will be very disappointed.

Anyone wanting to stop by the Oxley Practice Field to wish FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger well may have to wait a few days.

FAU is expected to hold a staff meeting today with the football coaches to deal with the logistics of FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger’s announcement on Thursday that he is stepping down as Owls coach.

Among the topics to be discussed is recruiting.

• ESPN760
• Sun-Sentinel
• Palm Beach Post
• Miami Herald
• ESPN.com
• Louisville Courier-Journal

The last time Florida Atlantic looked for a coach, Howard Schnellenberger – then FAU’s Director of Football Operations - made the call and picked himself as the Owls’ first coach.

Unlike in 1999, Schnellenberger likely won’t get to unilaterally name the next coach, but he will have some input, according to FAU Athletic Director Craig Angelos.

• Mike Leach, Former Texas Tech coach: Went to BYU with Angelos. Currently living in Key West.
• Randy Shannon, Former Miami coach: Was an assistant when Angelos was an assistant AD at Miami.
• Butch Davis, Former Miami, UNC coach: Was head coach of the Hurricanes while Angelos was an assistant AD at UM.
• Gary Nord, Purdue offensive coordinator: Was an Owls offensive coordinator from 2005-08.
• Jeff Brohm, Illinois quarterback coach: Was FAU quarterback coach in 2009 and played quarterback for Schnellenberger at Louisville.
• Marc Trestman, Monteal (CFL) coach: Quarterbacks coach for UM under Schnellenberger.
• Jim Leavitt, former USF coach, current linebackers coach for 49ers: Built USF program from scratch.
• Terry Bowden, former Auburn coach, current North Alabama coach: Son of Bobby Bowden, has strong ties to state.
• Mark Richt, current Georgia coach: The former UM quarterback and Boca Raton High School graduate, could be a candidate if he’s let go in Athens
• Kurt Van Valkenburgh, current FAU defensive coordinator: On original staff, knows the ins and outs of the program but has also been a coordinator in the Big 8 and Big Ten.
• Jay Gruden, offensive coordinator for Bengals: Played for Schnellenberger at Louisville

With FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger nearing the end of his contract, there has been plenty of speculation about his future.

It turns out the contract may not  have as much to do with Schnellenberger’s future as possibly his health.

Sources close to him told us that Schnellenberger may have to undergo hip surgery soon and he generally hasn’t been as active during practice in the last few days. He wasn’t at Monday’s practice, was in a golf cart for most of Tuesday’s workout and watched Wednesday’s practice from the balcony of the Oxley Center.

Today, he was only briefly seen at this morning’s first practice and not at all for the second practice of the day.

If you know Schnellenberger, he doesn’t miss practice except for something major and it would take something like this to keep him away from perhaps his favorite place on earth – the practice field.

It’s not the perfect end to a nearly 50-year coaching career, but at least Schnellenberger got to decide when it was time to go and not those who were trying to push a legend out the door.

FAU just sent out a release announcing a press conference for 4 p.m. when Owls coach Howard Schnellenberger will address the media for an “important announcement about the future of the FAU football program.”

Some say training camp doesn’t start until the first day in pads. Some say training camp doesn’t get started until the first “Three-A-Day” practice sessions begin.

And those began this morning when the Owls took the field at 8 a.m. for the first of three Thursday practices. Actually the players were already on the field at 7:45 a.m. when the FAUOwlAccess.com team arrived to cover the practice.

• It hasn’t been as bad as last season when FAU was down to its fourth string center about this time, but Jimmie Colley, who is battling Jordan Sessa for the starting job, and third-string center Chris Chappell were dressed out in shorts and are limited. RG Chris Newbold is snapping the ball with the second team and Sessa seems to be settling in with the starters.
• Speaking of Newbold, in the morning he was working as the starting right guard over Erik Hansen. That will be something to watch for the rest of the day.
• With defensive end Andrew Stryffler limited, true freshman Joe Henry is running with the second team defense and appears to be the only first-year player on the two-deep right now, although linebacker  Andrae Kirk has been getting in some work with the second team as well.

Florida Atlantic is looking into the possibility it may have inadvertently committed an NCAA violation at Thursday’s ceremonial lighting of its new football stadium.

Instead of dealing with unbearable heat and humidity, the first three days of Florida Atlantic’s training camp have been held under cloudy skies.

It’s not a surprise that the players haven’t been complaining.

With apologies to The Who: Meet the new voice, same as the old voice.

There will be a new official Voice of the Owls this season, and it's someone who is quite familiar to FAU fans. In the coming days FAU will announce that Ken LaVicka will be calling FAU football games this season.

LaVicka replaces Dave Lamont, who has spent much of the last two seasons begging off FAU broadcasts so he could work for ESPN.

Last season LaVicka actually handled the  play-by-play duties in six of the Owls' games, (13-of-24 over the past two seasons) and worked as the color commentator for two more.

“We wanted to get continuity,” FAU athletic director Craig Angelos said. “Dave is being pulled in so many different directions, and we knew eventually that it would happen - that he has so many ESPN appointments that he can't be here every week and he doesn't know from week to week where he's going to be.”

LaVicka is already entrenched as the voice of FAU basketball, calling games with Evan Cohen on ESPN 760. He also hosted The Howard Schnellenberger Show on FAUOwlAccess.com along with Schnellenberger's and basketball coach Mike Jarvis' weekly radio shows on ESPN 760.

Angelos said the Owls have yet to make a decision on who will be LaVicka's partner in the booth. With current color commentator Fred O'Connor dealing with a health issue, former FAU player Jason Pugh, who also works at ESPN 760, is likely to be the guy.

If O'Connor is up to it, Angelos said he wouldn't mind trying a three person booth - which would be great. O'Connor and Pugh both bring plenty to the booth.

Angelos indicated the choice of 760 personalities LaVicka and potentially Pugh allows FAU to strengthen its relationship with ESPN 760, which also produces the sports for local NBC affiliate WPTV.

“The opportunity to be marketed on Channel 5 every night and throughout Evan's broadcast, and throughout their radio all day long to be in the public consciousness – it's been a good partnership for us,” Angelos said.

Regardless of the marketing or scheduling aspects of the decision, turning the microphone over to LaVicka is the right choice. Aside from doing a fantastic job relaying the excitement of college football, he's shown a dedication to FAU's athletic program that hasn't been seen in recent years.

Want visual proof? The photo of LaVicka with Schnellenberger was taken at Thursday's stadium lighting ceremony. He also did some pre-broadcast scouting at Saturday's first practice.

Having LaVicka on the air every Saturday is a smart move by FAU.

Owl Links.
FAUOwlAccess.com
Sunday's second fall football practice wasn't a complete washout, even though for a time it looked like it could be. Rain interrupted the practice for about an hour and a half, forcing it to resume at the track. We were the only media outlet to stick around through the delay and Sunday's practice report featured a look at the Owls' wide receiver situation. ...We also completed out preview of the teams FAU will face this season by examining Louisiana-Monroe.

Other linkage

The Sun-Sentinel says Toney Moore is getting a shot at LB
 

Florida Atlantic has lost some depth at one of its thinnest positions.

The off-season is over and the regular season begins in just four Saturdays the Owls will kickoff the 2011 season in Gainesville against the Florida Gators.

FAU quarterback Graham Wilbert’s first audible was overruled by Owls coach Howard Schnellenberger.

Looking at Howard Schnellenberger during the past week, you couldn't really tell that fall camp was near. If you talked to him, though, you could feel the anticipation in his voice.

He's been waiting for this week. And now he has a smile.

“If my demeanor and persona doesn't look like that of an excited coach, that's because the flesh has been on this earth a little bit longer,” the 77-year-old Schnellenberger said with a grin on Wednesday. “This is the biggest preseason we've had. This will be the biggest preparation for a season we've had - since the last one.”

Make no mistake, he's ready.

What could go down as one of his most proud seasons begins today when players officially report. Of course, to fully enjoy the year he's going to have to fix some of the problems that plagued they Owls over the past two sub .500 seasons.

“I don't take as great a disappointment in the last two seasons as most other people do because I know the differential was a very small differential - and we have history on our side,” Schnellenberger said.

The history that Schnellenberger is referring to is the 2007 season, when the not-so-highly regarded
Owls came out of nowhere to take the Sun Belt title.

Though he was talking about the FAU's play on the field, he quickly segued to the actual field. FAU, of course, will open its new on-campus stadium this season.

“It's going to be a program high note for Florida Atlantic University,” Schnellenberger said. “For me being the coach at this time is going to be very satisfying.:

As for the stadium itself, it crosses another ceremonial barrier this evening. FAU is holding a media ceremony in the stadium, flicking the switch on the stadium field lights at night for the first time for all to see.

Schnellenberger says he is going to “savor” tonight's moment much in the same way he's enjoyed every threshold the stadium has crossed, but he cautions FAU fans not to grow too accustomed to seeing the lights.

“This is not to indicate that night time games are going to be a staple,” he said. “From a practical standpoint, it does give us the ability to play any time we want to play and practice any time we want to practice.”

Some FAU players will attend the event tonight. They don't actually begin practice until Saturday.

Owl Links

FAUOwlAccess.com
We continued previewing FAU's opponents by looking at the game against Arkansas St. We also want FAU fans to have an in depth knowledge of the players they'll be following this fall. With that in mind, we continued our position primer by looking at the revamped linebacker corps. Also, via a late-day blog FAU fans first learned that safety Cortez Ash's legal troubles will keep him from reporting with the rest of his teammates.
 

Cortez Ash's June arrest will keep him from reporting to camp when the remainder of the Owls return to campus on Thursday, and FAU coaches are unsure of when he'll be able to take the field again.

Ash, a redshirt freshman safety, was arrested on June 11 by the Indian River County Sheriff's Department for allegedly stealing copper wire from a scrap yard and then trying to sell it back to them. Ash was charged with Burglary of a Business, Third Degree Grand Theft and Dealing with Stolen Property – the final two charges being felonies.

Ash, currently free on bond, is prohibited from practicing by a policy in the FAU Student-Athlete Handbook which reads:

In cases of arrest, the student-athlete will be suspended from practice and competition pending appropriate legal and University reviews.

Ash isn't scheduled to appear in court again until Aug. 31.

Not having Ash in camp deals a blow to a secondary that lost three starters to graduation. An athletic hard-hitter, Ash was expected to challenge for a starting safety spot.

He did not take part in the summer's voluntary team workouts.

 

Jupiter quarterback Tyler Cameron, who held an offer from FAU and around 20 other schools, committed to South Florida on Tuesday night.

The folks at FAU sent out the times and dates for the pre-season training camp and that’s when the reality hit.

• Thursday: Players report (Stadium lighting)
• Saturday: First practice
• Wednesday: First day in full pads (Oklahoma Drill!)
• Aug. 11: First Three-a-Day
• Aug. 12: Scrimmage
• Aug 18: Last Three-a-Day
• Aug. 20: FanFest Scrimmage
• Aug. 22: Players Day Off
• Aug. 25: Bonfire
• Aug. 27: Game Prep Scrimmage
• Aug. 29: Players Day Off
• Sept. 2: Travel to Gainesville
• Sept. 3: FAU at Florida

• Aug. 4: Players report (Stadium lighting)
• Aug. 6:: Practice 3:30-6 p.m.
• Aug. 7: Practice 3:30-6 p.m.
• Aug. 8: Practice 3:30-6 p.m.
• Aug. 9: Practice 3:30-6 p.m.
• Aug. 10: Practice 3:30-6 p.m.
• Aug. 11: Three practices from 8-9:15 a.m., 10:30 a.m.-Noon, 4:30-6 p.m.
• Aug. 12: Scrimmage 3:30-6 p.m.
• Aug. 13: Practice 3:30-6 p.m.
• Aug. 14: Three practices from 8-9:15 a.m., 10:30 a.m.-Noon, 4:30-6 p.m.
• Aug. 15: Practice 3:30-6 p.m.
• Aug. 16: Three practices from 8-9:15 a.m., 10:30 a.m.-Noon, 4:30-6 p.m.
• Aug. 17: Practice 3:30-6 p.m.
• Aug. 18: Three practices from 8-9:15 a.m., 10:30 a.m.-Noon, 4:30-6 p.m.
• Aug. 19: Practice 3:30-6 p.m.
• Aug. 20: FanFest 3:15-6 p.m.
• Aug. 21: Practice 3:30-6 p.m.
• Aug. 22: Off
• Aug. 23: Practice 3:30-6 p.m.
• Aug. 24: Practice 3:30-6 p.m.
• Aug. 25: Practice 3:30-6 p.m.
• Aug. 26: Practice 3:30-6 p.m.
• Aug. 27: Game Prep Scrimmage: 3:30-6 p.m.
• Aug. 28: Practice
• Aug. 29: Off
• Aug. 30: Practice 3:30-6 p.m.
• Aug. 31: Practice 3:30-6 p.m.

Training camp hasn’t even started and the Owls are already down a few players on the offensive line.