Florida Atlantic Owls 2025 Season Preview

The Florida Atlantic Owls head into the season after relieving Tom Herman of his head coaching duties after a disappointing 2-8 start to last season. Zach Kittley will look to re-energize the program back to its 2017-2019 form under now Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin.

The last two winning seasons (both conference titles) were accomplished under Lane Kiffin in 2017 and 2019 while Florida Atlantic was in Conference USA.

Along with a new head coach, the Owls will look to revamp their offense. Kittley is known for unleashing Bailey Zappe at Western Kentucky and he'll be tapping back into the Hilltoppers' well to rekindle some of that magic.

Former Western Kentucky quarterback Caden Veltkamp was a huge get in the transfer portal for the Owls. If he's able to generate similar production at FAU, Veltkamp should be considered one of the best signal callers among the Group of Five.

On the other side of the ball, FAU will have plenty of new faces. Cameron Goggins (16 tackles in 2024) is the most experienced returner in the secondary. The Owls will be relying heavily on the transfer portal as they got Derrick Rogers from Purdue and Dillon Williams from UTEP.

Florida Atlantic is rated tenth for the 2025 AAC Championship odds. It’s still going to take more time for the Owls to rise into a conference contender.

However, with a relatively weaker schedule, Florida Atlantic has a prime opportunity to build momentum with a winning record and potential bowl game appearance.