Potent Portal

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BOCA RATON – The transfer portal giventh, and the transfer portal taketh away.

FAU experienced the highs and lows of both outcomes this past year.

The Owls’ offensive line benefited greatly from the addition of transfers Antonio Riles and Junior Diaz. Wide receiver Jovon Durante led the Owls in receiving.

In an attempt to stabilize the quarterback position, the Owls bought former SMU signal caller Rafe Peavey to Boca Raton shortly after the start of fall camp, but Peavey failed to earn significant playing time.

Once the Owls finished the season they experienced the other side of the equation.

Reserve quarterback De’Andre Johnson elected to transfer to his fourth school in five years. The decisions by Deandre McNeal and DeSean Holmes to enter the portal decimated the Owls’ depth at wide receiver this spring.

The transfer portal did provide some benefits for the Owls this spring and heading into the fall.

Indiana transfer Nick Tronti, who arrived last summer via the portal and saw two snaps last season, became starter, at least temporarily, when the Owls suspended incumbent quarterback Chris Robison for the entire spring.

And Calvin Ashley became the third player to transfer from Auburn to FAU in a two-year span. If the NCAA approves Ashley’s appeal for immediate eligibility he’ll likely become a starter. That would be a notable accomplish considering how little the two previous Auburn transfers contributed.

Wide receiver John Franklin caught six passes for the Owls and is now with the Chicago Bears trying to launch a career as a defensive back. Fellow wide receiver Kyle Davis never played a down for the Owls. He failed out of school and is now playing in Canada.

FAU grabbed another player from the portal on Monday when Rahsaan Lewis, son of Hall of Famer Ray Lewis, announced he is transferring from UCF to FAU.

However the biggest news of the summer regarding FAU and the transfer portal appears to be a dud. Former Florida St. quarterback Diondre Francois announced in May that he will be transferring to FAU, but sources within Florida Atlantic continue to tell OwlAccess.com that will not happen.

WHAT WE WROTE ABOUT THE TRANSFER PORTAL AND FAU

WHY THE FAU TRANSFER PORTAL STORY IS IMPORTANT

In March Lane Kiffin bemoaned the transfer portal, saying that entering the portal has become the sexy thing to do for collegiate football players craving attention and playing time. Kiffin is not alone among coaches with his assessment, but with the NCAA gearing its policies toward giving athletes more freedom, the policy is unlikely to change radically any time soon.

FAU hopes to again benefit from the transfer portal come the start of fall practice. They expect Ashley to be granted immediate eligibility, but that decision has yet to be finalized. While that may solidify the offensive line, the Owls will have to rely on incoming freshmen to bolster the receiving corps.

One unintended consequence of the transfer portal to watch for: With so many players entering the portal, and with schools unable to replace those scholarships, there currently aren’t enough scholarships to go around. As a result, FAU expects to bolster its roster in the coming weeks with walk-on transfers from major programs who entered the portal but couldn’t locate another scholarship.

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