Florida Atlantic names starting quarterback ahead of season opener vs. Maryland

Ahmed Ghafir
4 hours ago
2 min read

While head coach Mike Locksley has stayed quiet on who his starting quarterback will be in 2025, Florida Atlantic first-year head coach Zach Kittley removed any uncertainty midway through fall camp.

“We’re going to run out there Caden Veltkamp for sure. That’s official. He’s our starting quarterback. Zach Gibson is kind of clawing away at that number two position but I wouldn’t say that’s a gimme quite yet. And then those other guys are kind of still battling for that other spot. And again, they’re splitting a ton of reps. Guys are – I tell them you never know what your opportunity is going to be. are you going to get four plays that day? Are you going to get 20 plays that day? So every rep you get that day is a chance to show what you’ve got.”

This will mark the first career start for Veltkamp in an Owl uniform after being named the C-USA Offensive Player of the Year at Western Kentucky last season, throwing for over 3,100 yards and totaling 32 touchdowns after replacing TJ Finley in the third game of the 2024 season. After following Kittley from Western Kentucky to FAU this offseason, Veltkamp has remained a constant on preseason watch lists after being named second team on the Phil Steele Magazine all-conference preseason team, fourth team all-conference preseason honors by Athlon, and was selected to the Maxwell Award Watch List.

Veltkamp, one of seven players named a 2025 team captain, is one of nearly 40 new transfers into Florida Atlantic this offseason while he also served as a counsel at the Manning Passing Academy this summer as the veteran quarterback looks to lead the Owls to their first bowl appearance since 2020. Veltkamp was in a position battle with former Akron and Georgia Tech quarterback Zach Gibson, who Maryland offered out of high school.

"We are looking for guys that fit the scheme and the culture that we want to build," Kittley added ahead of fall camp. "I feel really good about it. It is just crazy the world that we will live in; you have to have somewhere between a 25 [to] 30-percent of a roster flip almost every year. You always want to attack the right guys and bring in the right guys, and we were able to do that. [I’m] really excited to get on the grass with everyone next week.”

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