Owl Things Considered

Unlike the most recent meetings between FAU and FIU there was no fantastic finish, rushing of the court or big celebration by the Owls.

FAU won the previous five meetings heading into Saturday's big Bury the Burrow in Red showdown.

Problem is the Owls failed to show up in a 76-56 loss to the Panthers and lost by 20 points to its rival from down south.

And the Panthers did it convincing fashion that has to make one wonder how FAU can respond.

Maybe it was inevitable that FIU would have the advantage after being embarrassed five consecutive times, but after the game Owls coach Mike Jarvis said it had more to do with FAU's lack of intensity than an extra dose of motivation for FIU.

“The difference tonight wasn't what they did because they didn't do everything different," Jarvis said. "They didn't play any different than they usually play. They usually play hard against us. No matter how they play against anybody else, they are going to play hard against us and they run the same stiff they always run against us.

"The difference wasn't them, The difference was us. We didn't bring our 'A' game. We didn't bring our intensity tonight.

"There aren't many times I leave this building feeling like we didn't really bring it, but this was one of those nights.

"Everybody in our program, coaches included, are going to have to dig down and look inside and say 'is this the way it's going to be or are we going to bring it?"
 

You may have missed it, and if you did you certainly have a good excuse, but on Wednesday I wrote that Florida Atlantic guard Alex Tucker is closing in on the school’s all-time assist record.

Tucker picked up six assists at South Alabama on Thursday and has 498 in his career. He might have logged a few more vs. the Jaguars except he left the game to have his lip stitched – a procedure that took the South Alabama medical staff several minutes longer than it should have – after it was split open during the game. By the way, I’m hearing FAU people were not very happy with Tucker missing several minutes of the game due to the lack of urgency on getting Tucker getting back on the court by South Alabama doctors.

Assuming Tucker doesn’t miss a large portion of tonight’s game for a minor medical procedure that for some reason (such as a close basketball game) takes longer than it should have, could he set the record tonight?

Tucker needs seven assists to tie and eight to pass the 505 Earnest Crumbley had from 2001-03. Tucker is averaging 3.7 assists per game this season and had eight vs. the Panthers two weeks ago.

However, Tucker did have a school-record 16 assists vs. FIU in the 2009-10 season, so it is possible, but more than likely the mark will come vs. Denver on Thursday, but I will still be keeping a “Tucker Tracker” for tonight’s game and will be Tweeting updates as he gets near the record.

Today's Links...

• Owl Access: Our preview of the FAU-FIU game
• Sun-Sentinel: Owls looking for sixth straight win over FIU
• Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Blue Raiders face Denver on ESPN2

FAU's list of 2012 signees included 29 players. NCAA rules stipulate that only 25 can actually receive scholarships. How is this going to work?

The easy answer is that two players in class won't be enrolling at FAU. Yes, the math is right.

Only 23 of the players FAU signed in 2011 reported in the summer. Quarterback Colton Kane grayshirted, enrolling in January, so he can count toward last year's total. The Owls can count one more of the mid-year enrollees toward the 2011 class. That will likely be Minnesota transfer Johnathan Ragoo or one of the junior college signees from December.

That leaves the Owls with 27 signees for this year's 25 spots. Who won't make it to the Owls' roster? It's too early to know. But the first group of players I'll be watching are the five junior college players who still need to finish classes to earn their degrees. (Brandin Bryant qualified academically out of high school in 2011.)

Some of these guys ended up playing going the JUCO route because the school work either wasn't a priority or their specialty. Some of them still have some work to do. Tony Grimes, for example, told me he is taking seven classes this semester to become eligible to play at FAU. Adarius Glanton is back home in Lake Gibson, but he said he's taking online classes from a junior college in Oklahoma to get credits that satisfy FAU's admissions requirements.

The good news for FAU is that many much larger programs backed away from these five who signed on Wednesday because they couldn't enroll at their schools for the current spring semester. The wariness of larger schools gave FAU the opportunity to nab some players that might not normally consider the Owls.

All these guys can – and sound motivated to - finish their work and get to FAU. Will they make it?

The Owls also took a couple chances on high school players who may need a little extra time. Those guys need to meet or exceed NCAA levels for grade point average in core classes and achieve high enough standardized test scores. One such player is Charter Oak (Calif.) wide receiver Chris Gilchrist (photo). When I talked with Gilchrist the night before Signing Day he told me he'd re-taken the SAT this past weekend and believes he did well. His coach, Louis Farrar, thinks the lack of a qualifying score was the reason PAC 12 schools shied away from Gilchrist.

What will happen to a high school player who doesn't qualify? Think Gila Monsters.

Eastern Arizona players Stern Vile and Adarius Glanton signed with the Owls. While researching stories about those guys (and Quenton Brown, who did not sign), I had multiple conversations with Gila Monsters coach John O'Mera. On at least two occasions he mentioned that he'd like to continue his relationship with FAU by having the Owls send him a couple non-qualifiers.

The same could happen at Fort Scott Community College, which sent three players to the Owls. Recruiting coordinator Jeff Sims is a former head coach there and obviously still has a good relationship with the program.

By helping a player who doesn't qualify find a good junior college program, the Owls can improve the chances of that player eventually coming back to FAU.

What's news on Friday...

I can’t really give a fair representation of how bad the officiating was in Thursday night’s FAU  65-56 loss at South Alabama game since I wasn’t there.

But listening to Ken LaVicka call the game on ESPN760 makes me think it left something to be desired since he mentioned many times how bad it was. Apparently the coaches for each team agreed as both Owls coach Mike Jarvis and Jaguars coach Ronnie Arrow's bench each received technicals. The optimist would say it was consistent, but the realist would say it was probably bad enough to upset two of the Sun Belt’s most experienced coaches.

Well, it turns out the officiating in Mobile may not have been the worst in the Sun Belt on Thursday.

Check out these accounts of the wild ending in Lafayette, La. for ULL's 72-71 overtime victory over the Pioneers on a foul that no one saw or heard a whistle.

Here’s the straight news story from the Lafayette Daily Advertiser and the more interesting account from the UALR fan blog Burn the Horse.

If Burn The Horse is accurate, LaVicka has nothing on Denver play-by-play man Mitch Hyder who had these gems after a phantom foul call in overtime that decided the game:

“Joe Scott is beside himself.” No call on Denver’s end when they got “hammered”, then Cajuns gifted. “It is beyond a crime.”

“What we saw in the last 10 seconds of regulation and in overtime… what we have just witnessed… is absolutely mind-boggling.”

“This is a bad situation for everybody, including the radio guy.”

“The officiating was an absolute travesty. … An absolute, unequivocal joke.”

“It is absolutely mind-boggling the garbage that goes on in this place [Lafayette].”

On the heels of the embarrassing  “six-man” fiasco earlier this season (also benefitting ULL), perhaps it might be a good time for Sun Belt Conference to look at its officiating.  Instead it probably is thinking how it can muzzle radio announcers.

Today's Links...

• Owl Access: Our coverage of FAU's 65-56 loss at South Alabama
• Mobile Press-Register: South Alabama basketball rallies past Florida Atlantic
• Sun-Sentinel: Pelini said recruiting was learning experience
• Dothan Eagle: FIU rallies from 10-points down to beat Troy

Forest Hill football coach Chris Kokell has a message for other Palm Beach County coaches who are questioning the way FAU recruited the area.

“I don't get it,” Kokell said. “They have been nothing but up front and honest.”

One of Kokell's players, athlete Mike Bullard (photo, in white), turned out to be one of the more interesting cases on Signing Day. One of the first players to commit to new FAU coach Carl Pelini, Bullard didn't become a member of the Owls' 2012 signing class.

Kokell said Bullard's academic issues prompted FAU to send him a document stating that the 5-foot-9, 160 pounder's athletic scholarship would begin in January, provided he completes the necessary requirements.

“Coach Pelini even called me himself to make sure I was comfortable,” Kokell said. “I have nothing but good things to say about the program. I would have no problem sending any of my top prospects there in the future.”

The idea of signing a gray-shirt deal also appealed to Bullard.

“I was trying to work on my signature all day,” he said.

Recruiting Criticism, Part II: While we're looking at Palm Beach County, I have to admit I fail to understand the uproar over FAU pulling its offer to Royal Palm Beach running back Tremane McCullough. The Owls offered McCullough during his visit two weekends ago, but he didn't want to commit because even though FAU was his only FBS offer, the recent academic qualifier expected other offers to come.

FAU waited for a little bit, but when McCullough kept looking for better offers the Owls moved on. The Owls chose not to take a player who didn't want to be in Boca Raton. Seems like a reasonable decision to me.

Brown out: It sounds like FAU didn't give up on an NLI from Fort Scott CC defensive end Quenton Brown until the middle of Wednesday afternoon. Brown seemed to be weighing other offers, but I can't find that he signed anywhere. The last minute commitments of defensive linemen Trevon Coley (Miramar) and Isaac Edwards (Tampa Jesuit) made the academically questionable Brown somewhat expendable. I'm not putting money on it, but I wouldn't be surprised if Brown does eventually sign with FAU in a day or two. It's hard to have too many linemen.

First may be best: Look for junior college transfers Melvin German (QB), Terrell Mitchell (TE), and Adarius Glanton (LB) to make the most immediate impact among today's signees. Down the road, though, I wouldn't be surprised if Kempner (Tex.) defensive end Shalom Ogbonda, the first player to commit, isn't looked upon as the prize of this class. He's young (skipped a grade), new to football, and by all accounts is a beast to try to block.

Today's Links...

OwlAccess.com's FAU Signing Day 2012 Coverage

Sun-Sentinel / The Palm Beach Post






 

At Owl Access we do more before 11 a.m. than most people do all day.

OK, that may not be true every day, but today it is.

Today we have been to three high schools and have made phone calls to every FAU commitment to confirm there was no last-minute changing of the minds.

The result is that we can confirm all of FAU’s commitments have indeed signed with FAU or intend to do so shortly.

The only player who spurned the Owls was Roosevelt Donaldson (DL, Miami-Southridge) who told us last night he was 50-50 between Western Michigan and FAU. We left him on our list of commitments, but it’s pretty obvious the Owls’ coaching staff had moved on as they landed Trevon Coley of Miramar (pictured) and Isaac Edwards of Tampa Jesuit -  and James Mathis of Lowndes (Ga.) came in late.

Mathis and WR Chris Gilchrist of Carter Oak (Calif.) were pleasant surprises on National Signing Day.

Another curveball this morning, although not entirely unexpected, is that WR Mikey Bullard of Forest Hill won’t sign a standard NLI today, but instead will sign to defer his enrollment to January 2013 and come in as a “grey-shirt.”

Next on the agenda is a 3 p.m. press conference with new Owls coach Carl Pelini  as he disects the recruiting class.

We've been waiting for the craziness that is National Signing Day since the season ended almost two months ago, only to see the action start earlier than expected. We spent Tuesday afternoon/evening tracking down three new recruits who committed to FAU. There was also one recruit whose commitment was thrown into question.

Now the fun really starts. By our count, 24 players who are committed to FAU should sign on Wednesday. That doesn't count the three junior college players and one early high school graduate who are already enrolled. Colton Kane, a 2011 signee who enrolled at FAU this spring, isn't counted among those 24, either.

Owl Access Pass holders have been able to follow all the commitments and changes to The List. By the time you read this, our list will be published for all to see.

Will all 24 sign? Will more than 24 sign? We'll know in a few hours.  Here are some of the decisions we'll be watching closely throughout the day.

• James Mathis DE Lowndes, (Ga.) - Mathis (photo) committed to Troy, but enjoyed last weekend's visit to FAU enough that he's seriously considering the Owls. Mathis thought he'd announce his decision at a banquet on Tuesday, but he told me he decided not to go. It doesn't sound like he's having too much fun with this decision. I'm betting the FAU coaches would really like to steal a signee from the Trojans.
• Chris Gilchrist, WR, Charter Oak (Calif.) - Here's a late name into the signing day sweepstakes. Gilchrist received early interest from PAC 12 schools, but questions as to whether he would qualify academically made them shy away. He's 6-foot-5 with 4.5 speed, and still could go to Nevada. He received an offer from FAU earlier this week, but said on Tuesday he didn't want to sign without seeing the school first (He's never been to Boca Raton). Gilchrist re-took the SAT this weekend and feels good about his score. Will he decide FAU's sure thing is better than waiting for another offer? Will FAU hold a spot for him if he doesn't sign on Wednesday?
• Roosevelt Donaldson, DL, Miami-Southridge – Some reports have Donaldson de-committing from FAU to sign with Western Michigan. I talked with Donaldson and his coach on Tuesday, and both put the odds of Donaldson signing with the Owls at 50/50. We still have him on the commitment list but, obviously, wouldn't be surprised if he became a Bronco. Another question: With defensive ends Isaac Edwards and Trevon Coley committing to FAU on Tuesday, does FAU still have room for Donaldson?
• Mike Bullard, ATH, West Palm Beach-Forest Hill – Bullard was one of the first players to commit to the Carl Pelini regime. Bullard, though, received some bad advice early in his high school years and is going to come up tremendously short academically. Forest Hill coach Chris Kokell says Bullard may actually need to take high school classes into the fall before he can enroll at FAU. Kokell said the Owls are sticking with Bullard and helping through his troubles, and I believe him. However, don't be surprised if Bullard isn't technically part of the signing class. Why sign him and count him toward an overcrowded 2012 class when he can't enroll until the spring?
• JUCO transfers – Three are already enrolled, seven more are expected to sign today. Double-digit JUCO's – who would have thought that would ever happen at FAU? Signing Day presents many challenges for FAU pertaining to these guys, none the least of which is that many of them are no longer at their schools. That means no Signing Day ceremonies and no urgency to sign the paper work. Will all of them get their NLIs faxed to the Oxley Center before FAU's scheduled 3 p.m. press conference or will there be some stragglers that come in later? Also, because there weren't coaches available to help them, at least a couple have been dealing with phone calls from larger schools since making their commitment. Adarius Glanton received so many calls from the likes of Florida St., Miami and Nebraska that he actually changed his phone number last week. Glanton says it's a done deal with FAU, but did one of the other seven find those calls to be more persuasive?
• Outside chances – FAU has sent papers to Satellite Beach athlete J.T. Washington and Miami-Norland defensive back Feddie Davey, their high school coaches said. Washington will choose between West Virginia (where he is committed), Arizona and FAU, Satellite coach Andrew Disney said. Davey's coach, Darryle Heidelburg, said keeping the commitment to Washington St. is almost a certainty for Davey. ... If FAU was ready to take a chance on Gilchrist, would the Owls also take a shot with fellow Californian Blair Brown? The linebacker was ready to commit to FAU after his visit, but the Owls were wary because he'd yet to achieve his test scores. ...As far as the talk about West Palm Beach-Dwyer lineman Mike Minns, he told me weeks ago that FAU wasn't a consideration. Not so sure that FAU is even interested anymore. ...Royal Palm Beach's Tremane McCullough doesn't seem to even have an offer from FAU. ...The Owls are also no longer pursuing St. Petersburg-Gibbs defensive lineman Albert McCoy.

We'll be hitting the high schools early and the FAU press conference in the afternoon. Return to OwlAccess.com as often as possible for continuous updates, and be sure to follow us on Twitter @FAUOwlAccess. We'll be getting the Signing Day news out as fast as we can.

Today's Links....

• Owl Access: FAU lands three more
• Sun-Sentinel: Owls target different recruits under Pelini

What's news on Tuesday...

There are officially less than 24 hours before the National Letters of Intent begin rolling in to the Oxley Center and FAU will officially sign its first class under new coach Carl Pelini.

At this point, it appears there would have to be a huge turn of events for anything but a solid class to come in Wednesday.

We will wait to see just who comes in and who doesn't before analyzing the class as a whole because there often is a surprise or two on National Signing Day.

While there certainly could be a player who changes his mind, it's difficult to predict what may happen.

However, we do have some structure to the day.

Here's a tentative schedule for Wednesday's events...

All Day: Coverage on Owl Access.com

8 a.m. Recruits may begin sending their National Letters of Intent

10 a.m.-1 p.m. Coverage of National Signing Day on ESPN760

3 p.m. FAU coach Carl Pelini press conference to announce Owls' signing class

6-7:30 p.m. Coverage of National Signing Day on ESPN760

7 p.m. National Signing Day Fundraising Dinner (6 p.m. Reception)

Today's Links...

• Owl Access: Fort Scott CC tight end Terrell Mitchell, a former Kentucky commitment, plans to sign with FAU
• Sun-Sentinel: FAU basketball hitting its stride
• TCPalm.com: Florida Atlantic football coach Carl Pelini hits the ground running
• Miami Herald: Mario Cristobal staying at FIU after talking to Rutgers
• Miami Herald: Cristobal says he’s staying at FIU – but for how long?

A leader has emerged in FAU's search for a new strength and conditioning coach.

FAU appears to be in the final stages of  negotiations with Chuck Lobe to take over the position that came open when Brian Remington resigned earlier this month.

Though Lobe and FAU have yet to formalize a deal, he was on campus this weekend. Sources said a contract could be finalized this week.

Lobe spent the past year at Denver University – a fellow Sun Belt school that doesn't have a football program. The three years prior to that he was the strength and conditioning coach for the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning.

From 2004-08 Lobe ran the strength and conditioning program at Minnesota St. from 2004-08. Current FAU wide receivers coach/recruiting coordinator Jeff Sims was also a coach at Minnesota St. for two of those years.

Lobe also spent a couple years as an assistant strength coach at the University of Minnesota, his alma mater.

The strength and conditioning coach is the final major coaching position new football coach Carl Pelini needs to fill to complete his staff. It is also one of the most important positions. The strength coach is allowed to work with players during the offseason at intervals not afforded to other assistants.

Pelini has stated that upgrading the strength program at FAU is one of his main goals.

Today's Links...

• Owl Access: FAU adds seven commitments on Sunday
• Sun-Sentinel: FAU adds three commitments on Saturday
• Miami Herald: Rutgers taking a hard look at FIU’s Mario Cristobal
• New York Post: FIU's Cristobal a finalist at Rutgers
• Mobile Press Register: South Alabama blows 20-point lead, wins at buzzer over Troy
   

The first major non-football event to be held in Florida Atlantic's new football stadium could well be the 2012 Major League Lacrosse All-Star game.

A source said the league is in the final stage of negotiating a contract with FAU, and a deal could be announced as early as this week.

The game is likely to be played on Saturday, June 30 and is expected to be televised nationally. The schedule on the MLL web site has the game time at 7:30 p.m., but doesn't yet give the location.

The trip to Florida may be somewhat of a trial outing for the league, which boasts eight teams located on the eastern seaboard. The Charlotte Hounds are the closest to the Sunshine State, but the league appears to be evaluating South Florida for a potential expansion team.

MLL also expects to have a youth lacrosse tournament in the days leading up to the game, but it is unclear whether any of those games will be played in the stadium.

Major League Lacrosse began play in 2001. ESPN2 televised the all star game last season. MLL recently signed a deal with CBS to broadcast some of their games.

The MLL season begins with three games on April 28.

Today's Links...

• Owl Access: FAU may be closing in on another junior college commitment.
• Sun Sentinel: Pelini likes way recruiting class is coming together
• Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Vandy ends Blue Raiders' 12-game winning streak
• Miami Herald: Home struggles continue for FIU Golden Panthers in loss to Western Kentucky
• Pensacola News-Journal: Morris sees action in Senior Bowl