| 4/2/2024 | Football BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic’s football team entered its second-to-last week of Spring Practice on Tuesday morning with the 2024 Spring Game scheduled for Saturday, April 13 at noon. The Owls were in full pads on Tuesday and following individual work, the team was put through its paces and game situations as they continued to compete for both starting positions as well as offense versus defense. COMPLETE ROSTER QUOTABLE Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator and Tight Ends Coach Chad Lunsford On the special teams unit “They are fun to be around. This is a good group of specialists. Their mindset is right, they work hard, they love to compete, and try to help the team win. But on top of that, they are pulling for each other and their teammates. There is a good bond and vibe with the specialists group for sure.”On improvements from last season “Last year was a little bit of a learning curve for our special forces. Last year was a little bit of a combination of Coach (Tom) Herman and what he has done in the past and what I have done in the past and we were blending those things together. This spring, everybody has been locked in. I made a point in the special teams meeting this morning that if we were to put on film from last spring and compared clips, you would see a totally different football team right now. You see a lot of guys paying attention to detail, trying to do it the way they are coached, and trying to do it at a high efficiency. I think you are seeing a growth in the special teams area.”Another big difference, Coach Herman has always heavily involved in special forces (special teams), but man, our assistant coaches are really doing a great job of stepping up and really getting involved in the scheme stuff and the fundamentals. When you asked about the biggest difference between last year to this year, I see growth not only in players, but I see growth in coaches and assistant coaches that are really doing a good job making our special teams better.” Junior Punter Nick Salmon On how spring is going so far “Mostly I am just focusing on myself each and every kick, each and every practice, just controlling the controllables.”On extra work being done with the specialists “There is a lot going into the punt period and the field goal period, pre-practice as well. The practices have gone well on all areas, lots of competition.” Redshirt Junior Kicker Morgan Suarez On returning from injury “So far, so good. I missed the guys. I really can’t thank the people that have helped me enough between the PT [Physical Therapist] Steve Emery, everybody in the athletic training room: Brad (Marsic), Bill (Sanders), and then Joey (Guarascio) and his staff, and Coach Lunsford and Coach Herman for believing in me and still allowing me to have my spot on this team and then obviously my parents and everyone else involved.”On a new appreciation for the game “Being on the sideline in crutches and in a brace, I didn’t realize how much the game meant to me until that point where I had to watch someone else do what my job was previously. I couldn’t wait to be back to where I am right now: fully healthy. It put a lot of things in perspective and made me fall in love with the game even more.” Redshirt Senior Long Snapper Nicholas Marino On how the game has slowed down for him “Just over time, I have been doing the same thing over and over again, the game has slowed down a lot because I have trust in my guys. I have been working with the same guys for the past three or four years. It is easy because we have good chemistry.”On working with the same staff “It benefits us a lot in the offseason. We know what we are expecting, we know the schemes, we know what formations we are going to have, so it allowed us to work in the offseason knowing what we were going to be doing under Coach Herman and Coach Lunsford. They were pretty transparent about what we were doing, so it made our jobs a lot easier.” LADIES NIGHT Join the Owls on Wednesday, Apr. 3, at 5 p.m. for “Ladies Night.” The event is sponsored by Grimes Events and Tents and is presented by NILinParadise, taking place at the Schmidt Family Complex. The evening is scheduled to include educational sessions on offensive, defensive and special teams strategies. Participants will have the opportunity to mingle with players, coaches, and fellow Lady Owl enthusiasts, while going through light drills and competitions as well as refreshments. All proceeds, including the $100 registration fee, will benefit Florida Atlantic’s football team. To register or for more details click HERE. SPRING GAME The Owls will conclude the 2024 spring practice season with a spring game slated for Saturday, Apr. 13 at noon. The game will be played in FAU Stadium. GRIDIRON CLASSIC GOLF Join NILinParadise at the Gridiron Classic Golf Tournament, sponsored by GA Telesis. All proceeds directly support FAU student-athletes. Join the Owls for a day of golf, prizes and comraderie scheduled for Thursday, Apr. 25, 2024, at the Boca West Country Club. To register your foursome, 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. |
