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The Roost Podcast | Ep 143 – ’23 FAU Preview with Kevin Fielder

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The Roost Podcast is making its AAC rounds, previewing 2023 Rice Football opponents and sharing one big podcast announcement.

The new-look AAC features a mix of familiar and formerly familiar Rice football foes. We start our 2023 preview series with FAU football, most recently a Conference USA opponent of the Houston-based Owls. Kevin Fielder of Owls247 joins the show this week to preview FAU’s upcoming season, talk expectations and general AAC musings.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 143.

Episode Notes

DCTF

The Roost Podcast is now part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You’ll still get the same content with the same hosts, but now under the DCTF banner.

Homefield

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Previewing 2023 FAU football with Kevin Fielder

  • FAU’s transition from C-USA to the AAC
  • The Tom Herman hire and his fit with FAU
  • Casey Thompson’s place in the AAC quarterback hierarchy
  • Additional playmakers on offense
  • Question marks on defense
  • Fair expectations for the program in 2023 and beyond
  • The Lightning Round

Where can you find us?

The Roost Podcast is part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You can find this podcast and all of our partner podcasts on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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2023 April Window AAC Transfer Portal Updates

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The spring transfer window closed for non-graduates at the end of April and there were several late entrants for incoming and outgoing AAC squads.

Not every AAC football team was impacted in a significant way by the transfer portal over the past few weeks, but some experienced significant departures. Here are five names worth mentioning as they prepare to exit their respective programs.

RB Alton McCaskill, Houston

Houston won’t be an AAC member for much longer, but the Cougars face several incoming and outgoing AAC squads in 2023 and will have to do so without Alton McCaskill, arguably their most talented offensive player. McCaskill rushed for 961 yards and 16 touchdowns as a true freshman before missing last season with an injury. Colorado is rumored to be a potential landing spot.

WR Zakhari Franklin, UTSA

The go-to target for the Roadrunners, Franklin was another shocking late entrant to the portal. He set the single-season program records for receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns as a junior in 2021 and then broke his own program records for those same measures in 2022.  UTSA will still return Joshua Cephus and De’Corian Clark, but Franklin is a massive loss.

WR Jyaire Shorter, North Texas

Shorter has run into some bad luck on the injury front in 2020 and 2021, but when healthy, remains a dynamic playmaker. He led the FBS in yards per reception last season (27.2 yards per catch) and figured to be the top target for the Mean Green in 2023. That will no longer be the case. Auburn is rumored to be a potential landing spot.

LB Larry Nixon III, North Texas

A multi-year starter for North Texas, Nixon posted double-digit tackles in three of his final four games with the Mean Green and leaves Denton with 246 career tackles. He was offered be Auburn and Miami soon after entering the portal.

CB Jadon Canady, Tulane

Canady was a starter in 2021 and the early portions of the 2022 campaign before an ACL injury ended his season prematurely. He might not be fully 100 percent to begin the 2023 season, but he’s still a quality player with extensive experience, more than 1,200 snaps over the past two years.

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2023 AAC Football: NFL Draft and UDFA Tracker

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There were several players selected in the NFL Draft from teams that will share a conference with Rice football next season and more have signed since.

Even without considering selections from outgoing members, AAC football was well represented in the 2023 NFL Draft, earning five selections from its 2023 membership through seven rounds. Once the draft ended, many other players latched on with NFL teams, signing as undrafted free agents. Those players will report to training camp and compete for a spot on rosters just the same.

2023 AAC Football NFL Draft Picks

2nd Round (No. 55) – WR Rashee Rice, SMU – Chiefs
3rd Round (No. 81) – RB Tyjae Spears, Tulane – Titans
3rd Round (No. 91) – LB Dorian Williams, Tulane – Bills
7th Round (No. 222) – RB Dwayne McBride, UAB – Vikings
7th Round (No. 255) – WR Grant DuBose, Charlotte – Packers

Undrafted Free Agents

Charlotte

None

East Carolina

  • RB Keaton Mitchell – Ravens
  • OT Noah Henderson – Bills
  • TE Ryan Jones – Giants
  • QB Holton Ahlers – Seahawks
  • WR CJ Johnson – Seahawks

FAU

None

Memphis

  • P Joe Dyle – Texans
  • SAF Quindell Johnson – Rams

Navy

None

North Texas

None

Rice

  • DE Ikenna Enechukwu – Falcons

UAB

  • CB Starling Thomas V – Lions
  • OT Kadeem Telfort – Packers

USF

  • OL Brad Cecil – Lions

UTSA

  • CB Corey Mayfield Jr. – Ravens

SMU

  • OG Jaylon Thomas – Ravens
  • LB Jimmy Phillips – Packers

Temple

  • WR Jose Barbon – Cowboys

Tulane

  • SAF Macon Clark – Bears
  • SAF Larry Brooks III – Bengals
  • WR Duece Watts – Packers
  • TE Trick James – Chiefs
  • LB Nick Anderson – Saints
  • WR Shae Wyatt – 49ers

Tulsa

  • RB Deneric Prince – Chiefs

Additional signings could continue to trickle in over the next few days. Training camps are still weeks away. For now, it’s safe to say there will be a new crop of AAC football players off to make their mark on the league. We’ll find out soon enough who will stick.

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Conference USA / AAC Coaching Carousel Updates

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The coaching carousel has been in full swing since the regular season ended. Here are the relevant changes in Conference USA and the American.

With the membership of both leagues in flux, there are folks tracking moves in both Conference USA and the American Athletic Conference as the coaching carousel continues to spin. Here’s the latest as of December 7.

Conference USA

Charlotte – In: Biff Poggi | Out: Will Healy

Healy was the first Conference USA coach dismissed in this cycle and it was likewise the first job filled. Off-field Michigan assistant Biff Poggi will take the reins. Credited with revitalizing the Wolverines behind the scenes, his financial connections and ability to fundraise will be equally valuable to the 49ers as the transition to the AAC.

North Texas – In: N/A |  Out: Seth Littrell

Seth Littrell was a late dismissal in this cycle after reaching the Conference USA Championship Game. Ultimately the departure of AD Wren Baker and a combined 44-44 record were not enough to keep him on the job. North Texas was late to the dance, but should still be an attractive job to many.

FAU – In: Tom Herman |  Out: Willie Taggart

Now former head coach Willie Taggart didn’t even make it to dinner time on the night of FAU’s final regular season game, a loss to Western Kentucky. Likewise, FAU moved quickly to replace him, hiring former Texas and Houston head coach Tom Herman. The Owls wanted someone with Florida ties, but couldn’t pass up on adding someone with proven AAC success like Herman.

UAB – In: Trent Dilfer |  Out: Bryant Vincent (Interim)

In a move that caught just about everyone by surprise, UAB went outside of the college football ranks to hire high school coach Trent Dilfer to be their head man. Bringing back interim Bryant Vincent didn’t seem likely after a 6-6 finish, but going off the grid to get Dilfer — who brings quarterback development and an NFL pedigree but not much else — was a stunner.

Liberty – In: Jamey Chadwell | Out: Hugh Freeze

Freeze was making public overtures for other jobs for quite some time, so a change in leadership at Liberty isn’t surprising. The Flames hired Chadwell away from Coastal Carolina where he’d posted back-to-back 11-win seasons and has been credited as a great offensive mind.

American

Tulsa – In: Kevin Wilson | Out: Phillip Montgomery

After going 43-53 in eight seasons with the Golden Hurricane, Montgomery was relieved of his duties. Although many projected former Tulsa quarterback G.J. Kinne to land here, he wound up at Texas State and Tulsa hired Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson, formerly the head coach at Indiana.

USF – In: Alex Golesh |  Out: Jeff Scott

Former Clemson assistant Jeff Scott was never able to get things going in South Florida, prompting the move. In somewhat of a surprise, USF went back to the weel of unproven, but promising assistants, hiring Tennesee offensive coordinator Alex Golesh following a breakthrough season by the Vols’ offensive attack under his direction.

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Official: Rice Athletics to join AAC on July 1, 2023

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UPDATE: On Wednesday, June 15 Rice officially announced it will join the AAC on July 1, 2023.

— Friday, June 10 —

The AAC announced the formal exit of Houston, Cincinnati and UCF opening the door for Rice Athletics to move into the conference in 2023.

The AAC brought college football realignment back to the forefront of the national narrative on Friday morning when they announced Houston, Cincinnati and UCF would be leaving the conference to join the Big XII on July 1, 2023. That move directly impacts Rice, enabling the Owls to move into those vacated seats in the AAC soon.

So, what’s next?

Rice Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard released this statement on Friday afternoon:

“The agreement reached between the American Athletic Conference and its three departing members allows us to formally begin the process of joining the American in the near future. We remain proud members of Conference USA for the 2022-23 academic year, and anticipate releasing more information on our transition to the American in the near future.”

While that statement doesn’t explicitly mention any transition dates, sources confirm to The Roost the intention remains for Rice to join the AAC in 2023, following the conclusion of the 2022-23 academic year which Karlgaard mentions in the release above.

Roost Pod: AAC introductions with Fear The Wave

That timeline is further corroborated by several of the fellow soon-to-be-former Conference USA members which will be making the move with the Owls. Charlotte came out almost immediately following the news, issuing a declaration of their intent to join the AAC in 2023.

FAU followed suit as did UTSA. Like Rice, North Texas and UAB and each released more general statements of their intent to make the move “soon”. Per Brett McMurphy, each of the six schools must inform Conference USA of their intention to leave for the AAC by Wednesday, June 15.

The next steps seem like a formality at this point, but it remains good news for Rice, regardless. This week Rice will formalize its intention to leave Conference USA and join the American.

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