FAU Football News Roundup: QB Shedeur Sanders decommits, new game added to the schedule

Sanders changed his commitment to Jackson State University, where his father coaches.

In place of the canceled game against Old Dominion, FAU will now face the University of Massachusetts. Photo by Alex Liscio.

Bryce Totz and Richard Pereira
November 9, 2020

Bryce Totz | Staff Writer

Four-star quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who previously committed to FAU, changed his mind on Friday. Sanders has now committed to Jackson State University where his father, Deion Sanders, is the head coach. 

The four-star recruit also had offers from Alabama, Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, UCF, and more. 

Sheuder announced on his Twitter and Instagram accounts Friday afternoon. He would have been the highest-ranked commit to FAU since running back Jordan Scarlett in 2013. Scarlett also de-committed from FAU, before going to the University of Florida.

Deion Sanders was hired by Jackson State in September, which opened the door for the recruitment of his son. 

Shedeur plays quarterback for Trinity Christian High School in Cedar Hill, Texas. His dad is currently the offensive coordinator and the Tigers are 6-3 this season.

Over his first three seasons, Shedeur threw for nearly 9,000 yards, 123 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions.

In his announcement, Shedeur said, “I couldn’t pass up [an] opportunity to help level the playing field & pursue equality for HBCU’s [Historically Black Colleges and Universities]!” 

“This is a GROWN MAN MOVE!” Deion said on his Instagram page. “This is daddy talking not Coach Prime.” 

Bryce Totz is a staff writer for the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @brycetotz. 

Richard Pereira | Staff Writer

The Owls (3-1, 3-1 C-USA) announced Friday they will be hosting the University of Massachusetts (0-2) on Friday, Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. The game will be played at FAU Stadium and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

This will be the first time FAU and UMass will play against each other in their programs’ histories.

The game is scheduled for the week FAU was originally set to face Old Dominion before the Monarchs decided not to participate this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brian White, Vice President and Director of FAU Athletics, posted on his Twitter account to celebrate the announcement of the matchup.

“Very excited to get this game for our @FAUFootball student-athletes, @FloridaAtlantic student body, and @FAUAthletics fan base!” White said.

There are five more games FAU had to either cancel or postpone due to COVID-19. The two games that were canceled were scheduled to be against Minnesota and Stony Brook. The other three games that were postponed were scheduled against South Florida, Georgia Southern, and Southern Miss. 

The games against Georgia Southern and Southern Miss have been rescheduled to Dec. 5 and Dec. 10.

Coming off a 10-6 victory over Western Kentucky Saturday, FAU will head on the road to face in-state rival FIU on Friday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

Richard Pereira is a staff writer for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @Rich26Pereira.