2025 Maryland football opponent overview: Florida Atlantic

Ahmed Ghafir
1 day ago
3 min read

Maryland football kicks off their 2025 season in exactly 50 days from today. In the first edition of our opponent overview, we look at Florida Atlantic with Maryland an early 16.5-point favorite at home.

2024 record: 3-9

Series history: first meeting, FAU 1-11 all-time vs. Big Ten (vs. Minnesota, 2007)

Coaching staff: Zach Kittley, 1st season as head coach

After stints at Texas Tech, Houston Baptist and Western Kentucky including three seasons as the Red Raiders’ OC/QB coach from 2022-24, Kittley takes over the program once led by Tom Herman with a few other connections along the coaching staff.

Jajuan Delany, a former tight end at Maryland, enters his first season as FAU’s TE coach while DC Brett Dewhurst spent one season with Maryland assistant Zac Spavital at Texas State with Dewhurst as DB coach and Spavital as DC. Spavital also worked with FAU special teams coordinator Tyler Schovanec at Texas Tech in 2017 and OL coach Stephen Hamby at Texas Tech in 2015.

What to know:

Offense: after posting one of the worst passing offenses in the AAC in 2024 with nearly 209 yards through the air per game, FAU has five starters returning on offense but is led by Western Kentucky QB transfer Caden Veltkamp as the former Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year looks to make a big dent in the Owls’ offense in 2025. After replacing TJ Finley three games into 2024, Veltkamp is coming off a season where he totaled over 3,100 passing yards, finished third on the team in rushing yards and placed inside the top five in every major scoring and passing category in Conference USA. At FAU, Veltkamp will get a chance to showcase his rushing ability but he’ll also have his familiar all-conference teammate to throw to in Easton Messer, a 5-foot-9 WR who also transferred from Western Kentucky after totaling 1,330 total yards of offense over the last two seasons. The OL returns a pair of starters including grad OL Alex Atcavage, while former Maryland OL Ja'Kavion Nonar is a candidate to become the Owls' starting left tackle for the season opener.

Defense: DC Brett Dewhurst will have plenty of new faces to lean on in 2025 with just two starters back in 2025. The Owls will get a chance to lean on a veteran piece in junior CJ Doggette, an Athlon preseason second-team All-AAC selection after transferring from Cincinnati and Ohio.

North Texas safety Dillon Williams will look to step up to improve the secondary alongside veteran Wendol Philord, while former Maryland pledge Derrick Rogers, who was at Purdue in 2024, is also a candidate to start at cornerback for the Owls on Aug. 30.

Matchup to watch: Veltkamp vs. Maryland’s pass rush

Lining up against a productive veteran receiver like Messer gives Maryland’s revamped secondary a sound early test with CBs Dontay Joyner and Jamare Glasker looking to lead the room alongside ‘Kerm’ Humes heading into his second year with the program. But for a Maryland front seven that struggled in 2024, the Terps have a chance to elevate the pass rush in 2025 with several pieces leading the way in Trey Reddick, Neeo Avery, DD Holmes and Sidney Stewart.

The Owls’ projected starting OL started just 16 combined games in 2024, giving an inexperienced Maryland front a chance to build momentum in the trenches with favorable matchups and a multitude of options to disrupt Veltkamp’s FAU debut.

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