FAU Football: Linebacker Keyshawn Greene transfers to FAU from Nebraska

Greene was a four-star recruit coming out of high school.

With the transfer of Greene, it adds a need at the linebacker position. Photo by Alex Liscio.

Jensen Jennings, Sports Editor
September 9, 2020

With only 10 days until the start of the 2020 football season, FAU received a commitment from former Nebraska four-star linebacker Keyshawn Greene who announced via his Twitter account Tuesday that he is transferring to FAU. 

Greene officially entered the transfer portal on Sept. 4, after commiting to Nebraska for its 2020 recruiting class. Greene was the second-highest-rated recruit for the Huskers in their 2020 class.

Before committing to Nebraska, Greene was verbally committed to play at Florida State University while FAU head coach Willie Taggart was still the head coach at FSU. Greene changed his commitment to Nebraska shortly after Taggart was fired from Florida State. 

Transferring to FAU will allow Greene the opportunity to play closer to home as Greene played high school football in Crawfordville, FL at Wakulla High School. Greene finished his senior season with 147 tackles (77 solo), three sacks, and one interception in 13 games. 

Nebraska and the rest of the Big Ten Conference had its seasons postponed on Aug. 11. It is still unclear if Greene will be eligible to play immediately this season for the Owls. 

The commitment of Greene is a big one for FAU regardless of whether or not he will be eligible to play this fall for the Owls. 

According to 247 Sports, Greene was ranked the No. 133 best prospect in the country in the 2020 recruiting class. He was also ranked No. 21 in the state of Florida and the No. 8 outside linebacker in the country.

Greene is one of the highest-rated recruits based on his 247 Sports composite score (0.9384) in FAU history. 

The Owls have many question marks at the linebacker position after losing three starting linebackers from their championship team last season. 

Rashad Smith was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent and was moved to their practice squad over the weekend. Last season for the Owls Smith had 109 tackles (58 solo), five fumble recoveries, 3.5 sacks, and three interceptions.

Akileis Leroy will reportedly miss the 2020 season due to eligibility issues but could return to the team in spring. Last season, Leroy had 101 tackles (55 solo), 7.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, and three interceptions. 

Hosea Barnwell reportedly entered the transfer portal in June but has yet to announce where he will be playing next. Barnwell had 57 tackles (22 solo), and one forced fumble last season. 

Senior linebacker Caliph Brice is projected to be one of the leaders on the defensive side for the Owls. He played in 13 games last season and finished the year with 28 tackles (11 solo), one sack, and one interception. 

FAU kicks off its season at 4 p.m. on Sept. 19 in Statesboro against Georgia Southern and will be broadcast on ESPN2.    

Jensen Jennings is the sports editor for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @Jensen_Jennings.