| 3/13/2025 | Football BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic football team picked up the practice pace with first-day logistics in the rearview mirror. The squad moved through individual workouts, tempo, seven-on-seven and “bigs” in spring practice number two.This Saturday, the Owls will don full pads for the first time under first-year Hagerty Family Head Football Zach Kittley. It will be the third of 15 allowable practices and the first opportunity for the staff to really evaluate the team’s skillset and where they will need to concentrate efforts moving forward. QUOTABLE Brett Dewhurst, Defensive Coordinator On the pace of play at practice and energy level “It has been good. Obviously, this is practice two of week one. Pads go on, on Saturday. We said it is practice one on Tuesday, but it is really seven. We get six of the OTAs ‘football school’ teaching. Football is year-round now. You get six of those in the winter, 16 spring practices, six-to-eight-of those in the summer, obviously fall camp. It has been good for the guys to learn everything. Really, the first three days are review of installs from those and now it is more technique and obviously a lot more physical demands, with practice and everything else. The good thing about this group is, coming in as a new staff, you never know what the culture is…these kids, in every room, have been really coachable and want to learn, which is everything you can ask for as a coach. It has been a fun group to be a part of. They are hungry and want to get better every single day. We are just taking it one day at a time, one walkthrough at a time. It has been good. I’m looking forward to Saturday and getting pads on and finally getting a front built to see who can do what.” What do you preach to the defensive side? “The entire defense depends on extreme effort. We have done football school, teaching the scheme, and now that they know the scheme, how fast can they play? It doesn’t matter what you do schematically, at the end of the day if you don’t play hard, play fast, get off blocks, run tackle, effect the quarterback, then usually you are not going to be very good. We preached it yesterday – HAVOC – is a word we are going to use. You have to affect the quarterback. That is not always going to be sacks or interceptions. It’s tipped balls. It is PBUs. You have to win the one-on-one somewhere.” Senior safety Jayden Williams On the difference of a defensive coordinator that is also your unit coach “One of our former safeties taught me that the game is won or lost by the DBs. When the DC is in the room and he is the organizer of the defense, I feel like it is better for the DBs because the game is won or lost back there. It is extremely important to get the reads because we are the fence of the defense. I really enjoy having him in there with us. The knowledge he has given us is amazing. It is really good to have the DC in the room.” On Coach Korel (Smith) first as a player and now as a coach “It is crazy. When I played with Coach Smith, he was the smartest one on the field. So, the game that he is giving us back is amazing. He is staying after, coaching us up on the little things. I always looked up to him, so now it is just a blessing to have him out there with me.” Redshirt freshman safety Kyle Boylston On managing his two-sport schedule “My days are long. My days are fun though. I love everything I do. I love every moment of it. I made my commitment to both coaches so I can’t use an excuse, I have been here, I’m doing this. I try whenever I do anything to give it all that I have got. I play it like I’m not doing the other sport. I give full effort in everything I do.” Does Kittley’s experience working with Patrick Mahomes as a dual-sport athlete help? “It has. I appreciate Coach because he is understanding. Really, as long as you communicate, nothing will be wrong as long as they know what you are doing. If you miss something, they understand.” Sophomore safety Mike Wright III What can you pull from your experience playing last season as well as the offseason heading into today? “Being thrown into the fire helped me a lot. To see the formations as a freshman, most freshmen do not get that opportunity…Getting used to college football has really helped me. Now, when I play an offensive mind like Coach Kittley, he has a lot of stuff, averaging 44 points a game, so when we see it at practice. I realize, ‘ok tight ends are over here. He is off the ball. I have seen this in a game.’ That has definitely helped.” Have you seen a marked difference in tempo? “Today, they picked it up. Tuesday was the first day of spring practice, everyone was learning. Today they definitely picked it up and it was definitely different. You have to get lined up. You have to know what you are doing. You have to move quick, fast tempo. It really is.” VIDEO RECAP PRACTICE NOTES Williams nearly had an interception and potentially a pick-six.Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Jabari Smith collected a pass and was followed down the sideline by the defenders. PHOTO GALLERY Gallery: (3-13-2025) Spring Practice #2 NIL IN PARADISE REGISTRATION To register click HERE. COMPLETE SCHEDULE Click HERE. SEASON TICKETS To purchase season tickets, click HERE. FOLLOW THE TEAM Stay informed by reading FAUSports.com or through football’s Twitter and Instagram accounts @FAUFootball. |
