FAU Football: Preview, prediction for Owls’ 2019 season
By Phil Poling
Lane Kiffin is entering his third season at the helm of the FAU football program. Can he lead the Owls back to a bowl game after a disappointing 2018?
Lane Kiffin took over for the ousted-Charlie Partridge in 2017 and immediately led the Owls to an 11-win campaign. His second year didn’t go as smoothly, winning only five games and finishing below .500 for the first time in his head coaching career, but he’s hoping to get back on track this season. What are some realistic expectations for Kiffin in year three?
Although Conference USA isn’t known for its football prowess, Florida Atlantic owns one of the toughest schedules in 2019 thanks to their non-conference opponents. With Ohio State and UCF to start the season, Kiffin & Co. will have to hit the ground running.
Kiffin’s dominated recruiting in the conference, though, hauling in the first, third and first ranked classes since 2017, per 247Sports. Those classes only ranked 60th, 75th and 60th, respectively, but the success on the field in Year 1 may have given unrealistic expectations to fans.
What type of job is Florida Atlantic for Kiffin, anyways? Is it just a stepping stone for another Power-5 position? Is he trying to finesse an offensive coordinator job in NFL out of this? Or is Boca Raton a place Kiffin could lay down some serious roots and build a Group of Five contender?
The Owls finished 5-7 a season ago but what will they look like this fall?