FAU football is back as the Owls concluded their first week of spring practice Friday morning. Spring football began with the first practice on Monday morning and will finish on April 9 with the 2022 Spring Game.  

“Our guys have been working all offseason and now it’s time to go out on the football field and execute the things we’ve been practicing and working on this offseason,” said head coach Willie Taggart. “We have some new coaches, some new players, and I’m excited to get out there and see what these guys can do.” 

Friday saw the first practice in full pads and was the first time new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brent Dearmon and defensive coordinator Todd Orlando spoke to the media since joining the staff.

“Consistency has been the message we’ve been preaching to our guys. We’re trying to get them to realize that you can’t have days off, you can’t have Saturdays off, you’ve gotta bring it every day,” Dearmon said. 

Dearmon definitely has his work cut out for him as FAU finished ranked 84th out of 130 teams in scoring offense last season. However, he will have the help of a veteran leading the offense with graduate quarterback N’Kosi Perry returning for another season. 

“[Perry] is a really talented player,” said Dearmon. “I think I got a lot of talented guys in my room with [Michael Johnson Jr.] and [Willie Taggart Jr.] as well. We’re just figuring out what those guys can do well. They’re athletes, they can run, so we’re trying to fit the offense to what they can do well.”  

The defensive side of the ball has also had some turnover over this offseason, as Orlando took over as defensive coordinator following the departure of Mike Stoops in January.

“I just love the way that coach Taggart goes about business. He’s old-school and believes in hard work and discipline. One of the big reasons is him,” Orlando said on what attracted him to FAU.

In addition to a new coordinator, the defense also added several new players through the transfer portal, including redshirt freshman linebacker and former four-star recruit, Morven Joseph, who transferred from the University of Tennessee in December.

Joseph will join the front seven alongside returning players, sophomore defensive tackle Evan Anderson and redshirt junior defensive end Jaylen Joyner, who led the team in sacks last season. 

“Fast and physical. I try not to overcomplicate it, just make it something where we are in attack mode every play,” Orlando said on what he wants his defense to look like.

The Owls will resume practice on Monday morning, and conclude with the spring game at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Fla.

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