Owls Ink December 2022 Class

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic University football, led by Hagerty Family Head Football Coach Tom Herman, solidified its December 2022 signing class with 16 players that will represent the Owls in 2023, which is FAU’s first season in the American Athletic Conference.

Two signees, Kiemar Richardson and Chris Tooley, will enroll in January classes and will begin working with the Owls prior to “Spring Practice.” The remaining 14 players will join after their spring commencement ceremonies, first with summer conditioning and then preseason camp.

TOM’S TAKEHagerty Family Head Football Coach Tom Herman
On the signing class primarily recruited by the outgoing staff
“I think when a young man commits to a university, I think it is our responsibility to uphold that commitment,” said Herman. “For me, even watching all the commits that were from the previous staff/previous era, it was very apparent that all of these guys could help us win and help us win early. I just wanted to make sure that we were true to our word as a university as they were when they committed.”

It didn’t seem as if there was drama or surprises today. That’s always good?
“It’s really good. The best part of signing day is when you can be done by 10 a.m., no surprises, no drama, everyone has signed on the dotted line. We are really, really excited about this class.”

Plans going forward?
“I do think that we need a couple of pieces in the transfer portal, regardless of years left and all of that. We need some immediate help in certain areas. I think you build a culture through high school guys and through guys that have been in your program for three, four, five years. We don’t want to be transfer U. We do know that we can use the portal and transfers to fill some immediate needs.”

BY THE NUMBERS

  • 14 from the Florida Atlantic Territory (Created by FAU’s inaugural head coach Howard Schnellenberger, which encompasses the area from Orlando, follows I-4 to Tampa and south)
  • 6 Tri-county high school alums
  • 2 (Jabari Smith and Chris Tooley) from Jones High School joining nearly a handful currently on the roster. Note on Tooley: he is the second player of the same name to play at FAU and both as DBs
  • 2 (Germari Sands and Xavier Terrell) from the highly acclaimed St. Thomas Aquinas High School. They are the first St. Thomas duo to join the Owls on Signing Day. The Raiders are coached by Roger Harriott, who was an FAU assistant head coach in 2014, focusing his attention on the running backs
  • 1 (Fabian Scott) played for current FAU assistant coach Brandon Harris‘ father

THE CLASSOrder received

SigneePos.Ht.Wt.Cl.Hometown. | High School | Previous School
Luke RuckerQB6-4200Fr.Sanford, Fla. | Sanford Seminole
Curtis RobertsLB6-4195Fr.Clearwater, Fla. | Central Catholic
Zeke MooreTE6-2240Fr.Roswell, Ga. | Roswell
Fin JonesTE6-6235Fr.Venice, Fla. | Venice
Xavier TerrellRB5-8175Fr.Fort Lauderdale, Fla. | St. Thomas Aquinas
Fabian ScottS6-3170Fr.Miami, Fla. | Booker T. Washington
Antonio SmithS6-3190Fr.Miami, Fla. | Gulliver Prep
Jabari Smith, Jr.WR5-10185Fr.Orlando, Fla. | Jones
Ovie DubreOL6-4330Fr.Powder Springs, Ga. | McEachern
Kiemar Richardson *DL6-5255Fr.Arcadia, Fla. | Desoto High School | Georgia Military College
Darius McClendonCB6-1168Jr.Boynton, Fla. | Forest Hill | New Mexico Military Institute
Chris Tooley *CB6-0160Fr..Orlando, Fla. | Jones High School
Jordan ChurchOL6-4325Fr.Bradenton, Fla. | IMG Academy
Wallace UnambaOL6-6332Jr.Rowlett, Texas | Rowlett | Kilgore CC
Arthur “AJ” JenkinsWR6-3190Fr.Fort Lauderdale, Fla. | Dillard
Gemari SandsRB5-10190Fr.Davie, Fla. | St. Thomas Aquinas

  *mid-year enrollee

GET TO KNOW

Meet the Newest Owls
(Alphabetically)0Ovie Dubre
Freshman | 6-4 | 330 | OL
Powder Springs, Ga. | McEachern High School

  • Holds a 166th rank in the state of Georgia by 247 and a top-10 OL ranking for GHSA
  • GHSA Region 2-7A First Team selection
  • As a senior, started at RT for McEachern who finished the year 4-6 in Georgia’s 7A classification
  • Brother Ese Dubre currently at Stanford
  • Used both unofficial and official visits to narrow his choice to FAU after visiting places like Arkansas and FSU and holding offers from Charlotte, Charleston Southern, and Grambling State among others

0Jordan Church
Freshman | 6-4 | 325 | OL
Bradenton, Fla. | IMG Academy

  • Transferred to IMG Academy for his final season of prep competition
  • Built a composite national rank of 0.8485 (1,117th)
  • As a junior, named a News-Press SW Florida Offensive Player of the Year nominee following a season in which he never gave up a sack from the left tackle position
  • Led Dunbar to a district title and a 6A playoff berth
  • Earned First Team All-County, Third Team All-State honors
  • Preseason “Big 15” News Press Selection
  • Chose FAU over FSU, Louisville, Pitt, Tennessee, FAMU, Buffalo, and Arkansas State 

0Arthur “AJ” Jenkins
Freshman | 6-3 | 190 | WR
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. | Dillard High School

  • Final collegiate season saw Jenkins hold a 248th rank among Florida players by 247
  • As a junior, played for Deerfield Beach after time at Pompano Beach and Coral Glades
  • As a sophomore, caught 16 passes for 230 yards and two scores, helping Fort Lauderdale’s Cardinal Gibbons win a Sunshine State 4A title
  • In the finals, had five receptions for a total of 63 yards to help defeat Bolles
  • Considered FAU, Temple and Coastal Carolina

0Fin Jones
Freshman | 6-6 | 235 | TE
Venice, Fla. | Venice High School

  • Finished his prep career at Venice High School
  • Indians dropped two of their first three games and then finished the season winning eight of their last nine in route to the state championship game and as Regional Champions were propelled into the State 4A Final versus Lakeland
  • As a junior, attended Sarasota’s Cardinal Mooney High School where he was a two-sport athlete (football and basketball)
  • Considered several schools through camp visits like Clemson and FSU, as well as Coastal Carolina and FIU

0Darius McClendon
Junior | 6-1 | 168 | CB
West Palm Beach, Fla. | Forest Hill High School | New Mexico Military Institute

  • At NMI, played multiple secondary positions
  • Saw action in eight games and totaled 33 tackles, seven pass breakups, and four INTs
  • Named Second Team All-SWJCFC
  • Originally signed with Middle Tennessee, played in nine games as a 2020 freshman and recorded eight tackles
  • Graded out a winner seven times and played 121 total snaps
  • As a freshman (2019), saw action in three games and was redshirted 

High School

  • Earned all-state and all-county honors at Forest Hill High School
  • Also named all-academic
  • Named Defensive MVP of the Palm Beach County All-Star game 

Personal

  • Son of Dwayne McClendon and Amanda Henry
  • Born on Oct. 24, 2000

0Zeke Moore
Freshman | 6-2 | 240 | TE
Roswell, Ga. | Roswell High School

  • Will have the opportunity to follow in the steps of another Georgia tight end, Harrison Bryant, who concluded his FAU career as the John Mackey 2019 honoree
  • First Team All-Offense H-Back after recording 316 yards on 25 catches and scored twice
  • Multi-sport athlete (football and track) ran a 12.41 in the 100-meter dash and 25.17 in the 200-meter dash
  • As a junior, caught 23 passes for 334 yards and five touchdowns while helping Roswell to a 10-3 record and a trip to the 7A playoffs
  • Brought to Paradise by tight end and special teams coach Chad Lunsford, himself a Georgia native
  • Also considered Kansas State, North Alabama, Campbell, and Austin Peay

0Kiemar Richardson
Freshman | 6-5 | 255 | DL
Arcadia, Fla. | Desoto High School | Georgia Military College

  • Used the season at Georgia Military to put on size    
  • Saw action in 10 games, tallied 29 tackles, including 16 for a loss of 89 yards of which nine were credited as sacks for a loss of 78 yards
  • In takeaways, he forced and recovered a fumble, with a one-yard return
  • Bulldogs’ squad finished the season with an 8-2 record and were 7-0 at home
  • Part of a unit that held opponents to 66.8 rushing yards, 158.4 passing yards and just 13.3 points
  • Finished his senior campaign on a squad that was 7-4 and second in the district

0Curtis Roberts
Freshman | 6-4 | 195 | LB
Clearwater, Fla. | Central Catholic

  • Athlete that played multiple positions as a senior
  • Finished his senior season with a 12-2 record, including going 7-0 at home
  • Member of state championship team
  • Two-sport athlete (football and track), with hopes of adding baseball to his resume
  • Specializes in long jump
  • Committed to FAU in the summer after considering more than 20 offers including Mississippi State, UCF, Kansas State, Michigan State, Appalachian State, Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina, and East Carolina

0Luke Rucker
Freshman | 6-4 | 200 | QB
Sanford, Fla. | Sanford Seminole High School

  • Named First Team All-Seminole Athletic Conference, Honorable Mention All-State 8A
  • As a senior, passed for 1,385 yards and 12 touchdowns for the top school in Seminole County, despite not playing a full slate of games
  • Listed as a Florida passing leader by MaxPrep
  • Named to the Orlando Sentinel Super 60 in 2022
  • Following a 7V7 season that he posted 1,050 yards and 10 TDs was ranked No. 14 QB in Florida
  • As a junior, led Seminole to an 11-2 record in Florida’s highest classification and split time with another quarterback
  • Tossed for 1,849 yards, 26 touchdowns with just four INTs
  • Named squad’s Offensive MVP
  • As a sophomore, attended Oviedo High School where he posted a 5-5 record, threw for 2,392 yards with 22 TDs against 12 INTs

0Gemari Sands
Freshman | 5-10 | 190 | RB
Davie, Fla. | St. Thomas Aquinas High School

  • Played for head coach Roger Harriett, a one-time FAU assistant coach, who focused on running backs
  • 2022 saw Sands play among a strong rotation that guided Aquinas to a state championship over Homestead
  • He averaged 14.3 yards per carry and 40.1 yards per game for Aquinas as a senior
  • In 2021 scored twice versus Cardinal Gibbons at FAU
  • Part of a historically strong prep program that continued its winning ways in 2021 with a 7A Championship
  • In 13 games, totaled 465 yards and four scores while averaging 12.2 yards per carry, added four receptions for a total of 50 yards and two TDs and averaged 29.5 yards per kick return, finding the endzone once
  • Considered the 103rd best running back by On3
  • Also considered Colorado, FIU, and Jackson State

0Fabian Scott
Freshman | 6-3 | 170 | S
Miami, Fla. | Booker T. Washington High School

  • Part of the program transformation last spring and summer under the direction of Coach Tim “Ice” Harris Sr., father of current FAU secondary coach Brandon Harris
  • Ended final prep season on a team that went 9-3
  • Will be among the top-two in height for the Owl secondary
  • Attended FSU’s summer camp, as well as UF’s

0Antonio Smith
Freshman | 6-3 | 190 | S
Miami, Fla. | Gulliver Prep

  • Ranked No. 108 as a safety per 247 Sports Composite rankings
  • As a senior, saw action in 12 games averaging 8.0 tackles per game and was credited with two interceptions, while picking up a fumble
  • As a junior, recorded 23 tackles and four INTs in four games
  • Team finished 2021 with an 11-2 record and made the Sunshine State 4A playoffs
  • Weighed 17 offers including UF, Boston College, West Virginia, and UCF 

0Jabari Smith, Jr.
Freshman | 5-10 | 185 | WR
Orlando, Fla. | Jones High School

High School

  • Tallied 2,354 career yards on 157 catches, an average of 60.4 yards per game while stepping into the endzone 11 times
  • Member of the Elite 100 Prospects position midseason rankings
  • As a junior, recorded 1,044 yards and five scores and was chosen First Team All-State
  • Considered Kansas State and FIU, as well as Howard and Alcorn State

0Xavier Terrell
Freshman | 5-8 | 175 | RB
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. | St. Thomas Aquinas High School

High School

  • Played for head coach Roger Harriett, a one-time FAU assistant coach, who focused on running backs
  • Part of a unit that guided Aquinas to a state championship over Homestead
  • Recipient of the teams CAP (Character, Attitude, Performance) Award
  • First attended IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. Where he rushed for 120 yards and had three touchdowns in five games for a team that finished 8-0 and held a No. 1 ranking by Max Preps Xcellent 25, during his sophomore campaign
  • As a freshman, played for IMG’s white team where he averaged 9.6 yards per carry totaling 1,670 yards and 21 scores through nine games
  • Also considered Georgia Tech and Marshall before solidifying his final decision
  • Multi-sport athlete, also running USA Track & Field where he is a two-time All-American

0Chris Tooley
Freshman | 6-0 | 160 | CB
Orlando, Fla. | Jones High School

Note: He is the second player by the name of Chris Tooley to play at FAU, both defensive backs. The first Chris Tooley played at FAU from 2016-19 and was a member of two C-USA Championship teams as well as two Boca Raton Bowl Championship teams

High School

  • Played for Jones High School, a former high school for multiple current and former Owls
  • Competed in the Sunshine State’s 3M classification
  • Transitioned from quarterback to cornerback while at Jones
  • Earned SBLive Florida Athlete of the Week honors following a four-TD performance
  • Listed by Elite 100 Prospects among the mid-season position rankings
  • Member of a regional championship squad
  • Prior to Jones, played for Oak Ridge where he worked as a quarterback
  • Considered USF, Illinois, and Connecticut, as well as HBC’s Alabama State and Prairie View A&M

0Wallace Unamba
Junior | 6-6 | 332 | OL
Rowlett, Texas | Rowlett High School | Kilgore Community College

Sophomore (2022)

  • Squad finished 8-4 and 4-3 in conference play
  • Provided protection for an offense that averaged 154.6 passing yards and 202.8 rushing yards
  • Built a resume that earned NJCAA All-American Honors 

Freshman (2021)

  • Saw action for Kilgore and fielded offers from Maryland and Massachusetts 

High School

  • Played for Rowlett High School 

Personal

  • Listed as a two-time JUCO All-American, three-time first team All-Conference selection, conference champion, and did not allow a sack in three seasons
  • Took each of his five official visits, spending time in Boca Raton, as well as North Texas, Texas State, East Carolina, and Georgia Southern
  • Holds his AA degree

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