Five storylines for Florida Atlantic football as it heads into the American Athletic Conference

Florida Atlantic begins preparing for the 2023 college football season this week and the word is new.

From a change of scenery as the Owls head into the American Athletic Conference (AAC), a new face (Tom Herman) running the team as head coach and a new starting quarterback, there is plenty of buzz surrounding a program that has fallen on tough times the last two seasons. As the Owls look toward their home opener against Monmouth on Sept. 2, here are five storylines heading into preseason camp, which starts Thursday:

The start of the Tom Herman era

After back-to-back seasons of five wins and missing out on a bowl game, FAU decided to move on from Willie Taggart and hire Herman.

After being fired at Texas in 2020, Herman took a hiatus from coaching at the college level until taking the job at FAU in December.

Herman has been a proven winner in college football, especially in the AAC. In his first season as head coach for Houston in 2015, he led the Cougars to a 13-1 record and the first conference championship in school history.

More: FAU basketball coach Dusty May looking to carry momentum of Final Four run into offseason

He would take the job at Texas in 2016 where he coached for four seasons accumulating a 32-18 record and made an appearance in the Big 12 championship game.

At AAC media day, Herman said that the past eight months have been the “most fun I’ve had coaching in a long time.”

An interesting QB room

Two-year starting quarterback N’Kosi Perry has moved on so the Owls are looking for a replacement and the choice could be an easy one.

The quarterback room looks a bit different than it did in the spring as Herman went out and acquired transfer Casey Thompson in May. Thompson brings in immense talent and experience, having played at Texas (under Herman) and Nebraska.

It’s reminiscent of what happened with Perry in his first season, as just like Thompson, they both missed spring practice. However, Perry would go on to start every game for FAU the last two seasons.

Thompson only has one year left of eligibility. One would think Herman wouldn’t go out and get Thompson if he didn’t think the graduate student couldn’t start week one.

Also different from Perry’s situation, Thompson has stiff competition in junior Daniel Richardson, who also has Division I game experience at Central Michigan.

Throughout the spring, Richardson impressed compared to other QB candidates. While the starting job is expected to go to Thompson, Richardson would be a valuable backup.

The air and ground game should be fun to watch

Whoever is the starting quarterback will be set up for success as the talent on offense is a strength.

Starting with the running backs. FAU is glad that after Larry McCammon III entered the transfer portal in January, he’s back with the team. McCammon rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season.

Alongside McCammon will be 2022 surprise Zuberi Mobley and graduate student transfer Kobe Lewis (Purdue), who rushed for 1,074 yards at Central Michigan in 2019.

With a three-headed monster at running back behind an experienced offensive line, the ground game should be explosive in 2023.

The wide receiver group will be led by LaJohntay Wester, who’s coming off back-to-back seasons of more than 60 catches and 700 receiving yards. Pairing with him is the speedy Je’Quan Burton and standouts such as Tony Johnson, BJ Alexander, Javion Posey, A’Ceon Cobb and Jayshon Platt.

An important fall camp for the defense

The linebacker position is one that isn’t as strong as other groups on defense. The inside linebackers have yet to prove themselves, and training camp is a perfect place to showcase their skills.

However, the outside linebackers have exciting players such as sophomore Jaylen Wester, Xavier Peters, Courtney McBride and Morven Joseph.

The defensive backs will be missing the production of Teja Young, who transferred to Ole Miss to play for former FAU head coach Lane Kiffin. Instead, that group will be led by Romain “Smoke” Mungin and 2022 star Jayden Williams.

A group that the Owls probably won’t have to worry about is the defensive line. It is filled with stars and contributors, making it one of the deepest components on the team.

Opposing teams will attempt to stop defensive lineman Evan Anderson, an absolute game-wrecker in every facet. Anderson will be joined by Decarius Hawthorne, Jaden Wheeler, Latrell Jean, Jacob Merrifield and Marlon Krakue up front.

First season in the AAC

After spending nine years in Conference USA, the Owls will play their inaugural season in the AAC in 2023.

In a preseason media poll that was released on July 25, FAU was ranked fifth. That is the second-highest among the new members with UTSA being ranked second with nine first-place votes.

Tulane is atop the list after being ranked No. 9 nationally and winning 12 games last season. FAU will host the Green Wave on Nov. 18.

It’ll be a tough conference schedule for the Owls as they look to make a mark in their rookie season in the AAC as they hope all those newcomers can help.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: FAU Owls, Tom Herman hope to make mark in American Athletic Conference