Florida Atlantic, Charlotte, North Texas, UTSA, Rice, UAB Accept AAC Invitations
Oct 21, 2021
MEMPHIS, TN - OCTOBER 14: The American Athletic Conference logo on the vest of a chain gang member during the game between the Memphis Tigers and the Navy Midshipmen on October 14, 2021, at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. (Photo by Chris McDill/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The American Athletic Conference announced Thursday it has accepted six new member schools: UAB, Florida Atlantic, Charlotte, North Texas, Rice and UTSA.
The conference did not confirm when the institutions will leave Conference USA and formally join the nine programs already in the AAC.
Commissioner Mike Aresco said in a statement:
I am extremely pleased to welcome these six outstanding universities to the American Athletic Conference. This is a strategic expansion that accomplishes a number of goals as we take the conference into its second decade. We are adding excellent institutions that are established in major cities and have invested in competing at the highest level. We have enhanced geographical concentration which will especially help the conference's men's and women's basketball and Olympic sports teams.
The realignment dominoes began falling in July when the SEC confirmed it will add Oklahoma and Texas on July 1, 2025, at the latest.
That left the Big 12 in need of a countermove lest it lose ground to its Power Five rivals. The conference snagged BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston to fill out its ranks, which dealt a major blow to the AAC since the latter three were member schools.
The next dominoes to fall could be in Conference USA. The AAC's move could be its death knell because its membership has been nearly halved, so other conferences may smell blood in the water.
Well, there it is.
Conference USA officially loses six of its members. It's not exactly high-major realignment, but nevertheless: pilfering nearly half of a league's inventory amounts to one of the more devastating sideswipes in realignment history. https://t.co/24BmOsH9T0
Yahoo Sports' Pete Thamel reported that Conference USA schools were collecting less than $1 million in annual television revenue. By going to the AAC, that money will at least double and "rise significantly from there," per Thamel.
UCF, Cincinnati and Houston are set to leave the AAC on July 1, 2024, and each pay a $10 million buyout fee. Aresco told ESPN's Heather Dinich in September the timeline could be accelerated pending negotiations about the buyout.
An expedited exit might pave the way for UAB, Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice and UTSA to make their AAC arrivals earlier than expected.
That may benefit Conference USA too since Thamel reported each school has to pay an exit fee of around $3 million.
FILE - In this Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017, file photo, former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward walks the sidelines before an NFL preseason football game against the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, N.C. On Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018, the Alliance of American Football, an eight-team spring league that begins play the weekend after the Super Bowl, will stage a
Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward is reportedly joining the coaching staff at Florida Atlantic University.
Per Shane Marinelli of FAU Owl's Nest, Ward is expected to work in an off-field coaching role with the Owls alongside receivers coach Joey Thomas.
Ward spent the past two seasons as an offensive assistant on Adam Gase's staff with the New York Jets. It marked his first official coaching job since retiring from the NFL after the 2011 season.
Prior to working with the Jets, Wardworkedwith Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers as an offensive intern during the 2017 preseason.
Ward spent his entire 14-year playing career with the Steelers from 1998-2011. He was named to the Pro Bowl four times and is one of14 playersin NFL history with 1,000 receptions.
Willie Taggart, a former college quarterback at Western Kentucky, is entering his second season as head coach at Florida Atlantic. The Owls went 5-4 overall and lost to Memphis in the Montgomery Bowl during the 2020 season.
Deion Sanders' Son Shedeur Commits to FAU over Alabama, More; 4-Star QB Recruit
Sanders, a 4-star recruit, is the No. 14 pro-style quarterback and No. 219 player overall in the 2021 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.
Steve Wiltfongof 247Sports wrote the Cedar Hill, Texas, native is the highest-ranked recruit to join the Owls since the site started its ranking system.
Through his first three years of high school, Sanders has thrown for 8,796 yards, 123 touchdowns and 19 interceptions.
.@ShedeurSanders one of the best quarterbacks from Class of 2021. 💯
FAU just got a commitment from ESPN 300 quarterback Shedeur Sanders, the son of Deion Sanders.
He's the first ESPN 300 commitment for the Owls since ESPN started its rankings in 2009 and gives new coach Willie Taggart a good option after Chris Robison is gone. @espncfbpic.twitter.com/SQe9WMB010
Florida Atlantic head coach Willie Taggart targeted Sanders when he coached at Florida State, the alma mater of Sanders' father.
"When I went there, Coach Taggart just showed a lot of love," Sanders said of a visit to Florida State in January 2019, per Noles247'sChris Nee. "I just can tell it is a change that is going to happen in a program. This year was an all right year, but I know they are going to have some great ones coming."
Florida State fired Taggart last November before he could finish his second full season in charge. Deion Sanders signaled his frustration with the move at the time:
The difference between us is vision. I look big picture u look at the now. Now what’s your plan and how long u give it to work. What if your son went to FSU to play and got red shirted and played sparingly his 2nd season. Should u give up on him? I got time. https://t.co/X4LPiJEQCU
Taggart landed on his feet at Florida Atlantic in December, replacing Lane Kiffin after Kiffin left to coach Ole Miss.
Chris Robison threw for 3,701 yards, 28 touchdowns and six interceptions as a redshirt sophomore in 2019. Assuming Robison exhausts his eligibility, Sanders will have a year to learn before the Owls' starting quarterback job will be up for grabs.
Kiffin laid the groundwork, guiding FAU to 11-win seasons in 2017 and 2019, and the arrival of Taggart was a sign of the program's ambitions. Landing skilled prep players such as Sanders should help the Owls take the next step forward.
And by opting for Florida Atlantic, Sanders has the opportunity to carve his own legacy on the gridiron.
3-Star QB Willie Taggart Jr. Submits FAU Letter of Intent to Play for Father
Feb 5, 2020
Florida State head football coach Willie Taggart watches the basketball game in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Duke with son's Jackson and Willie, Jr. in Tallahassee, Fla., Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019. Duke defeated Florida State 80-78. (AP Photo/Mark Wallheiser)
Quarterback Willie Taggart Jr. signed his letter of intent Wednesday to play college football at Florida Atlantic for his father, new Owls head coach Willie Taggart.
Taggart is a 3-star prospect who also received offers from Appalachian State and Florida State, per 247Sports.
In December, his dad toldPete Thamelof Yahoo Sports that making his son an offer early in his high school career while he was head coach at FSU was a mistake because other major programs didn't make the effort to recruit him.
"We moved him all over the place," the elder Taggart said. "He had three high schools in four years. Senior year [at Florida State University School], he finally got the nod and took his school to state for the first time in school history. He had a heck of a year."
Taggart is a dual-threat quarterback who helped lead the high school Noles to the Florida Class 3A championship game as a senior, his first year as a full-time starter.
He completed 59.2 percent of his throws for 2,165 yards with 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions across 14 games. He added 876 rushing yards and 10 scores on the ground.
Taggart likely isn't a candidate for immediate playing time at FAU. The Owls feature Chris Robison atop the QB depth chart after his breakout sophomore campaign in 2019 in which he threw 28 touchdowns and six picks in 14 games.
A redshirt may be an option with four other quarterbacks—including last year's backup, Nick Tronti—already on the roster to fight for the top reserve role.
Taggart does feature ample potential, but he's still a raw talent with a limited amount of snaps under his belt. An extra year of development can't hurt while waiting for the Owls' depth chart to thin out.
Ex-FSU Head Coach Willie Taggart Signs Contract with FAU for Open HC Job
Dec 11, 2019
Former Florida State head coach Willie Taggart reached an agreement Wednesday to become the new head football coach at Florida Atlantic.
Taggart, who's also served as head coach at Oregon, South Florida and Western Kentucky, confirmed his deal with the Owls to Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports.
The 43-year-old Florida native was fired by FSU in November after a 4-5 start. He guided the Seminoles to a 9-12 record in under two seasons.
He posted a statement on Twitter following his dismissal:
Taggart had gained a reputation as a coach who rebuilt programs at his prior stops. Western Kentucky and South Florida each won two games in his first season. The Hilltoppers won seven games in his second and third years, while the Bulls posted 18 wins over his last two campaigns at USF.
He spent just one year at Oregon, but the Ducks went from 4-8 in 2016 to 7-5 under him in 2017.
Taggart couldn't achieve similar success at Florida State, but it didn't take him long to land a new job, as he'll replace Lane Kiffin at FAU. Kiffin left the program to take over Ole Miss.
The Owls have posted a 26-13 record over the past three seasons, including a 10-3 mark this year to earn a berth in the Boca Raton Bowl against SMU on Dec. 21.
Taggart's background in Florida should allow him to hit the ground running on the recruiting trail.
FAU's Lane Kiffin Fined For Tweeting Meme Trolling Conference USA Refs
Oct 20, 2019
BOCA RATON, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 12: Head Coach Lane Kiffin of the Florida Atlantic Owls coaching against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders in the second half at FAU Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Boca Raton, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
Florida Atlantic University head coach Lane Kiffin's bank account is $5,000 lighter.
Stadium's Brett McMurphy reported Sunday that Kiffin has been fined that amount by Conference USA for "violating [the] league's sportsmanship policy" with a tweet depicting referees as blind:
Kiffin posted the meme Saturday following FAU's 36-31 loss to Marshall Friday night. His squad was called for nine penalties worth 90 yards in the game.
"I already made the decision I'm not going to get into officiating," Kiffin told reporters following the loss. "I don't know if we lose money in this conference—we probably do—and I don't have a lot anymore. I'm not going to lose any. I'm about to say what I want to say, but I'm not going to."
And then, Kiffin said exactly what he wanted to say. He apparently thought using a meme on Twitter was a way to work around getting fined, as he joked with a commenter:
Conference USA commissioner Judy MacLeod released a statement in which she said the organization has "an obligation to enforce our rules, including the prohibition of public criticism of officiating."
MacLeod clearly considers Twitter to be just as public as a postgame press conference, and now Kiffin knows another boundary he shouldn't cross.
Introspective and at Peace, Lane Kiffin Talks About His Path to a Happier Place
Sep 24, 2019
FILE - In this Sept. 1, 2018, file photo, Florida Atlantic head coach Lane Kiffin gestures in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Oklahoma in Norman, Okla. Florida Atlantic entered the season with aspirations of playing its way into the debate about who's worthy of berths in the College Football Playoff. The Owls' chances already have taken a hit, however they still have plenty of motivation heading into a visit to No. 16 UCF. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
BOCA RATON, Fla. — In Lane Kiffin's reasonably-sized office, it's the expansive library that grabs your eye first.
Not the ceremonial rings and watches stationed on the front of his desk—tokens of previous coaching tenures that are recruiting ammunition for him as the head coach at Florida Atlantic. Not the pictures of his children scattered throughout the room. Not the flat-screen television frozen on a practice rep—four days before FAU will take on Ohio State as a colossal underdog in the season opener.
Not the "Winning in Paradise" sign or the satiric name plate that reads "Mr. Wonderful."
No, as Kiffin leans back in his chair, his feet propped on the desk, it's the books collected behind him that stand out, largely because of what they are not. They aren't playbooks. In fact, they apparently have nothing to do with football at all. But these books have had an impact on Kiffin far greater than anything strictly to do with his profession.
There is Ego Is the Enemy. Next to that, The Coffee Bean: A Simple Lesson to Create Positive Change. And, in the stacks of hard and soft covers, a book that Kiffin is particularly fond of: The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?
Call them self-help books. Motivational reads. To each person, they may mean something different. To Kiffin, they've meant everything as he explores the kind of person he hopes to become.
Two years ago, The Purpose Driven Life was sent to Kiffin by the Tennessee team chaplain. The first sentence on the first page was highlighted in neon yellow.
"It's not about you."
"I didn't understand that when I was young because it was about me," Kiffin says as he flips through the pages. "I do more with the players now. I genuinely care about their development and want to help them through things. I used to help them, but I helped them with one thing: football.
"I'd get you drafted higher than anywhere else," he continues. "I was going to give you everything in that aspect. But did I do anything else for you?"
By leaving the spotlight that trailed him from one high-profile coaching drama to the next, Kiffin has found serenity. He recognizes the stigmas that exist about him. He also understands he probably won't change them, no matter how good his tweets are.
Twitter has unquestionably helped him remake his image. But the flood of honest, witty tweets he unleashes on a daily basis fail to capture the true transformation.
Once the poster child for expedited coaching ascension, Kiffin has found tranquility in a sleepy Florida town that is still learning to love its program—a program that's in its 19th season and has won eight or more games only four times. Under Kiffin, FAU has gone 11-3 and 5-7.
Curious about how one of the sport's most recognized and polarizing coaches has adjusted to life away from the spotlight, Bleacher Report went behind the scenes with Kiffin as his third season at FAU was about to kick off. It is clear the drive and the passion haven't disappeared. But there's another side to Kiffin taking shape—a side most assumed he never had.
"I want to win football games," he says. "That's important and everything, but that's not the only thing. Because if that's truly the only thing, you won't be very happy. I've lived it."
The sound of jet engines coming and going from nearby Boca Raton Airport Authority breaks up the silence of the offensive staff meeting, as coaches settle into their chairs and eat their lunches.
There's plenty of youth in this assemblage, starting at the head of the table with Kiffin, who's wearing red basketball shorts and a long white-sleeve shirt soaked in sweat from practice. The former head coach of USC, Tennessee and the Oakland Raiders is 44 years old.
Compared with some of his assistants, he's almost ancient. His offensive coordinator, Charlie Weis Jr., is 26 years old. His tight ends coach, former Florida State-turned-West Virginia quarterback Clint Trickett, is 28. His running backs coach, UCF great Kevin Smith, is 32.
This week, the assignment for one of the nation's youngest staffs is daunting. Preparing for a team with the talent and resource advantages of Ohio State is never easy. This particular year, it's more demanding than usual.
"It's a very complicated game," Kiffin says. "[Ohio State has a] new head coach, new quarterback and then a new defensive system, but you don't exactly know which system it is. It's like you've got no idea what to watch."
For the first part of the meeting, Kiffin and his assistants focus on the team's practice from earlier in the day, projected on a screen near the center of the room. After one of the sloppiest practices in recent weeks, the head coach's frustration builds as the miscues add up.
"Get it going," Kiffin says while watching his offensive line. "We're gonna get murdered if it looks like that on Saturday."
BOCA RATON, FL - SEPTEMBER 15: Head coach Lane Kiffin of the Florida Atlantic Owls looks on against the Bethune Cookman Wildcats during the second half at FAU Stadium on September 15, 2018 in Boca Raton, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
For much of his professional life, Kiffin was on the other side of lopsided season openers. After coaching and recruiting some of the nation's most elite athletes, getting accustomed to underdog status has taken some time.
Kiffin accepted the job at FAU after three seasons as the offensive coordinator under Nick Saban at Alabama. While he knew that he would be recruiting different players than he did for the Crimson Tide, he felt confident that he'd be able to successfully navigate the football-rich state of Florida.
"You have these profiles in your head of how every single position should look," Kiffin says. "This is the height, the weight, the speed; and it was that way for a long time. But you're not going to get that here. There's never been an offensive lineman drafted in the history of the school. Not in any round."
As the film session jumps from the team's practice reps to Ohio State's spring game, the obstacle seems to grow larger. Although FAU has faced Oklahoma and UCF and Wisconsin in the last few seasons, life as a cupcake is still relatively new to Kiffin.
"You've got to get some breaks in a game like this," he says. "That's just what happens when you're close to a 30-point underdog.
"Were the players ready to play? Did you manage the game well? Did you substitute well? That's kind of how I look at it now, which is hard to even say. But you've got to be realistic."
No book on Kiffin's shelves offers a closer parallel to his life over the past 10 years than The Coffee Bean: A Simple Lesson to Create Positive Change.
Kiffin dives into an analogy for how he found himself in Boca.
"Put a carrot in boiling water, and it will soften and ultimately weaken," he says. "If you put an egg in boiling water, it will become agitated and harden. But the coffee bean will take that water and change it. It'll turn it into coffee that smells good, embracing the adversity going on to make everything around it better."
When Kiffin was fired from USC in September of 2013, he became a carrot. Then, he became an egg. The spectacle of his firing—a raw moment that played out in the open—left him heartbroken and bitter.
"When you're in L.A. and you get fired at the airport at 4 a.m., you don't want to go anywhere," he says. "It was painful and embarrassing. And I felt miserable and angry at everybody for a little while. I realized then that I was defined as the head coach at USC, and that's all I was defined as."
The months that followed, a time of self-reflection, allowed him to come to terms with all that brought him to this point. The string of turbulent stops that culminated with the lowest point of his career—from Oakland to Tennessee and finally USC—brought him to this life stage at FAU.
"If that night had never happened, I think I'd still be so just drawn by the chase of the championships and the ego," he says. "I just look at things different now."
FAYETTEVILLE, AR - OCTOBER 8: Offensive Coordinator Lane Kiffin and Head Coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide talk on the sidelines during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Razorback Stadium on October 8, 2016 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Kiffin started over by pairing up with Saban, first in an observing role that December and soon after as Alabama's offensive coordinator.
For a coach whose path had been a whirlwind of turbulent climbing, this was a much different opportunity.
"You go back to being an assistant learning from the best that has ever coached," Kiffin says. "That kind of move will humble you. Knock down your ego. It certainly did for me."
The goal was to relearn what it took to run a football program, with the hope that another opportunity would eventually surface.
He also knew that if he was given another chance to lead, he would treat the people around him better. He would view program success differently—not just through the lens of wins and losses.
This was his coffee-bean moment.
His press conferences these days are outside of the national glare. Most of the time, a handful of local reporters ask him about the depth chart and injuries in a classroom that moonlights as an interview room.
While he still knows how to generate a buzz when he feels it's necessary, mainly through social media, Boca Raton has provided the seclusion he was seeking.
At night, Kiffin can travel to restaurants without being recognized—something he was never afforded at his previous stops.
Unlike most football coaches, Kiffin has never played golf: The water has always been his escape. And in Boca that escape is readily available.
"I am happier on a daily basis when I wake up and come to work," Kiffin says. "They love that you're here, and I can go home, take the boat out every day and catch snook in my backyard."
He pauses momentarily, intersecting his personal and professional life.
"Coaches leave jobs for two things: their ego and money," he says. "So what if I don't make three times or four times more money?"
Over the past couple of years, networks have shown interest in doing behind-the-scenes programs at FAU. It's no question that Kiffin's presence has made these opportunities possible. And while they could provide significant publicity to optimize recruiting and elevate interest in his program, Kiffin has denied each request.
"I just felt it wasn't the right timing for now," Kiffin says. "It felt really good to be able to just coach."
One of the other reasons Kiffin is uneasy about doing an all-access show is because he worries about his assistants having to publicly endure criticism in practice—an experience that hits close to home.
"There's a lot of head coaches that love that," he says." I don't want these guys to go through that with cameras around."
One of the assistants on the defensive staff is his father, Monte Kiffin, who started his career as a graduate assistant at Nebraska in the 1960s.
The luxury of being able to work alongside his father, a football lifer at age 79, is not lost on Lane as he lives his mid-40s. But he also doesn't see himself coaching and consuming football like his father for 30 more years.
He laughs at the notion that he could one day coach alongside his son, Knox. But his commitment to the sport and FAU is significant: He's on a 10-year contract that will keep him with the Owls through 2027. It's a commitment he intends to see through.
What actually happens before or after 2027 remains to be seen. Kiffin isn't sure what he would do without football in his life.
"My mom says I could've been a lawyer just because I used to like to argue a lot," he says with a smile. "I used to argue a lot and always had to be right."
Whatever comes next, right now he is clearly comfortable. Content. Relaxed. Which are not emotional states this profession often allows or encourages.
The first quarter at Ohio State goes as expected. Undersized and overwhelmed, FAU falls behind 28 points to the Buckeyes almost instantaneously.
But in a natural course of play, the game begins to tighten. It's never in doubt, but the Owls turn what initially has the look of a momentous blowout into a satisfactory 45-21 loss filled with moral victories.
The following week, FAU falls to UCF by 34 points. The first win comes at Ball State the next Saturday, when Kiffin and his players break through 41-31.
In his previous coaching world, a 10-point victory over Ball State wouldn't have meant much to Kiffin. But here, it's a springboard and a potentially season-saving win. (The Owls are now 2-2 after beating Wagner this past Saturday.)
In the next six months, FAU will open the Schmidt Family Complex for Athletic and Academic Excellence—a state-of-the-art facility with locker rooms, a weight room, practice fields and amenities that will change the way the football program operates and recruits.
The distance between FAU and the extensive list of programs it is chasing will grow shorter. Kiffin, who has been active in the construction of the facility, recognizes how much this could impact his professional life. It's also not a new factor that will sway his loyalty to his current job one way or another.
"As I've gotten older, I've realized I'd rather make less and live in a place that I really love," Kiffin says. "I'm at a place in my life where what's important to me is just different from when I was 30 years old."
The road to get here has been long. Painful. Maddening. Revealing. It has taken many years and jobs for Kiffin to find happiness—a situation that is not defined by status or money.
Failure, in many ways, was the best thing that could have happened to him. It's what brought on his own coffee-bean moment. In the years to come, he will still be defined by the success of his football program. As a head coach, the wins and the losses are inescapable.
But one thing will be very different. It will no longer just be about him.
Frank Gore Jr. Is Headed to FAU to Play for Lane Kiffin
Sep 3, 2019
BR Video
The son of NFL legend Frank Gore is headed to FAU to play for Lane Kiffin. Frank Gore Jr. is a 3-star 2020 prospect out of Miami's Killian High.
Watch the video above for more about how Frank Gore Jr. mirrors his father on the field.
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Lane Kiffin Unhappy FAU Scheduled Ohio State to Open 2019-20 Season
Aug 29, 2019
BOCA RATON, FL - OCTOBER 26: Head coach Lane Kiffin of the Florida Atlantic Owls looks on against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs during the first half at FAU Stadium on October 26, 2018 in Boca Raton, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
FAU head coach Lane Kiffin understands the reality for Group of Five schools in the FBS, but that doesn't mean he's happy to face No. 5 Ohio State to open the 2019 season.
"There's a lot of different ways to go about these things," Kiffin said Tuesday, per Bucknuts' Patrick Murphy. "Obviously, I didn't schedule these. These were scheduled before we got here, from the last athletic director (Pat Chun). I don't think it is the best idea, especially following with UCF, another team that has been a Top 10 team the last two years."
The Owls head to Columbus on Saturday to play the Buckeyes. TheCaesars Palace sportsbooklists FAU as a 27.5-point underdog.
During an interview on The Andy Slater Show, he was blunt about the rationale for games against high-profile opponents where his team is at a clear disadvantage:
Because of the money involved, Kiffin acknowledged the benefits of playing Power Five schools but lobbied for matchups with teams that would suit the Owls a little more.
"The format that I think is the best, because you have to make money, you can't not play these games," he said. "But you can play somebody that pays the same, because the conference pays the same for the most part. It is not that big of a difference."
This is the second straight year FAU has opened against a Top 10 opponent. The Owls lost 63-14 on the road to No. 7 Oklahoma last season. They also played No. 9 Wisconsin in the second week of 2017, losing 31-14.
According to the Sun Sentinel's Matthew DeFranks, FAU received $1.2 million apiece from playing Wisconsin and Oklahoma and will get $1.4 million for playing Ohio State.
