FAU soccer, which rose to nationwide relevance underneath Lane Kiffin, has backslid during the last 5 seasons underneath Willie Taggart and the just lately fired Tom Herman. The Owls’ new teaching search, although, is perhaps essentially the most attention-grabbing one among this 12 months’s teaching carousel.
And it received a bit of extra attention-grabbing this week, as Miami nice Ray Lewis has made it recognized that he actually needs to be the Owls’ subsequent coach, a supply briefed on Lewis’ considering stated Wednesday.
The 49-year-old Lewis, a 13-time Professional Bowl linebacker, has noticed the mannequin of what Deion Sanders has accomplished reworking Colorado soccer prior to now two years and is anticipated to current a plan to the Owls’ management within the subsequent week for the way he’d do one thing comparable at FAU.
Lewis’ previous buddy, fellow Professional Soccer Corridor of Famer Cris Carter, is the Owls’ govt director of participant engagement and is anticipated to be a great useful resource for Lewis. An enormous hurdle for Lewis is, in contrast to Sanders, he doesn’t have any earlier faculty teaching expertise.
“Ray needs it dangerous,” the supply briefed on Lewis’ considering stated. Lewis lives 5 minutes from the FAU campus. “He actually needs it.”
Lewis, nevertheless, is just not thought of a severe candidate at this level, in response to a supply concerned within the teaching search.
The frontrunner for the FAU emptiness, in response to a number of sources concerned within the search, is Ole Miss offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. The 31-year-old son of former Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, who lives a half-hour from Boca Raton, is the play caller at a sizzling Rebels program and runs the nation’s No. 2 offense, placing up 7.58 yards per play.
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The youthful Weis was Kiffin’s former offensive coordinator at FAU and is aware of this system effectively. He has loads of help from some key FAU folks, in response to sources concerned within the search. Kiffin has sturdy affect again at FAU and can push Weis for the job, these sources stated. Financially, Weis — who makes $1.65 million at Ole Miss — may need to take a pay lower to return to FAU however a supply briefed on the matter stated he doubted that might cease Weis from wanting this job.
Different anticipated candidates for the FAU job
Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner may make extra sense for the Owls. The 43-year-old helped flip Tech from the ACC’s No. 11 offense to No. 3 final 12 months. In 2022, the 12 months earlier than he was employed in Atlanta, Georgia Tech ranked final within the ACC in purple zone offense. His offense is No. 2 within the ACC in purple zone TD share.
Penn State assistant head coach/co-OC Ja’Juan Seider is a well-regarded coach with deep native ties and is anticipated to get some consideration. The 47-year-old Belle Glade, Fla., product was a star quarterback at Florida A&M and is well-connected round South Florida. Gamers actually reply to him. He additionally has been a key assistant in Joyful Valley, at Marshall and West Virginia.
UCF offensive coordinator Tim Harris Jr. has spent his complete teaching profession within the state. He was a four-time NCAA All-American in monitor at Miami after which spent 5 years as a profitable highschool coach in South Florida at Miami’s Booker T. Washington Excessive earlier than spending seven seasons at FIU. Since then, he’s coached at Miami and UCF, the place he has produced the Massive 12’s most prolific offense at 6.76 yards per play.
UNLV offensive coordinator Brennan Marion, a former Miami Dolphins wideout who lived in Boynton Seaside, not removed from the Owls’ campus, is perhaps an intriguing choice. He has confirmed to be a terrific offensive coordinator in two stops on the FCS stage earlier than a wonderful two-season run of reworking the Rebels right into a successful program. Final 12 months he led the Rebels to No. 6 within the nation in third down offense and No. 8 in purple zone offense regardless of his beginning QB taking place early and having to show to an unproven freshman in Jayden Maiava, who went on to win Mountain West Freshman of the Yr honors. This 12 months, the Rebels, with Maiava having left for USC, are No. 6 within the nation in scoring at 39.9 factors per recreation.
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FSU defensive backs coach Pat Surtain could possibly be in play at his alma mater Southern Miss, however he additionally has sturdy ties right here. He performed a decade within the NFL earlier than turning into a high highschool coach in South Florida. The 48-year-old spent one season with the Miami Dolphins as an NFL assistant earlier than becoming a member of FSU’s workers in 2023.
Georgia assistant head coach Todd Hartley, 39, spent three years teaching in South Florida on the Canes’ workers. He’s somebody Kirby Good has leaned on in elevating this system since Hartley’s return to Athens in 2019. Southern Miss additionally has loads of curiosity in Hartley for its head teaching emptiness.
Duke defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke, a Manny Diaz protege who was on the workers at Miami, is a rising star at defensive coordinator. He’s had a powerful debut season in Durham and in addition could possibly be in play.
Miami defensive ends coach Jason Taylor. The Professional Soccer Corridor of Famer, who had been a highschool assistant for 5 seasons at powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas, is a legendary determine round South Florida. In 2007, Taylor gained the NFL’s prestigious Walter Payton Man of the Yr honors and has been a wonderful addition to the Canes workers the previous two seasons.
— Chris Vannini contributed to this report
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