Tag: FAU

Former Texas football coach Tom Herman fired after less than two seasons at FAU

Former Longhorn Head Coach, Tom Herman is out at FAU as Head Coach.

Former Texas Longhorns football coach Tom Herman was relieved of his duties as Florida Atlantic University head coach, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN.

Herman, succeeded Willie Taggart at FAU in 2023, he went 6-16 as the head coach of the FAU Owls. The firing comes amid FAU’s five-game losing streak that included an 18-15 overtime loss to Temple on Saturday.

“I extend my appreciation to Tom Herman for his dedication to our university and our student-athletes,” Florida Atlantic Vice President and Director of Athletics Brian White said in a statement on their website. “I informed Tom of my decision this morning and then met with the staff and team. We firmly believe in our ability to win championships and compete for bowl games, and that remains our standard.”

Tom Herman was the Head Coach of the University of Texas football program from 2017-2020, taking over the program from former Coach Charlie Strong. Herman was the Head Coach of the University of Houston Cougars, prior to joining the Longhorns staff.

In the years since his departure he has held various roles, including a stint at the Chicago Bears as a assistant coach. Herman was compensated nearly 15.3 million dollars from UT Athletics at the time of his departure, estimates on X (formerly Twitter) suggest he is entitled to around 4 million from FAU. Herman has received a combined 19.4 million in funds estimated from firings in the last five years.

Perhaps it’s time for Tom Herman to follow the wise words of former LSU Head Coach Ed Oregon.

Michigan State football tight end addresses media to preview Maryland game, recap FAU

Michael Masunas talked to the media on Tuesday

It wasn’t the prettiest win on Friday, but Michigan State football managed to escape week one of the college football season undefeated with a 16 to 10 win over FAU.

While the offense was criticized after the game, one of the bright spots was the play of Michael Masunas, a sophomore tight end who caught two passes for 29 yards, doubling his catch total from last year.

Masunas addressed the media on Tuesday, and you can watch that below:

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Michigan State football vs. FAU game delayed due to weather

Michigan State will have to wait just a few extra minutes to start their season

Shortly before kickoff, it was reported by Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press that the Michigan State football vs. FAU game has been delayed due to weather.

The good news is that kickoff was only pushed back ten minutes to 7:10pm ET as long as the weather permits.

https://twitter.com/chrissolari/status/1829643220525203712

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Breaking: Former FAU OL Dorian Hinton will transfer to Texas A&M

Texas A&M picks up another experienced offensive lineman in former FAU guard Dorian Hinton

Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko continues to have a monster run in the transfer portal, bringing in more help to boost the competition along the offensive line.

Coach Adam Cushing will have another interior lineman added to mix with 6’4″ 317-pound former Florida Atlantic guard Dorian Hinton, confirming via social media he’ll be transferring to Texas A&M. The redshirt junior brings a wealth of experience (789 snaps last season) and is a stout pass protector, grading out at 85.7 according to PFF. In a similar move as a few other transfers, Hinton will take a step up in competition as he enters the SEC to finish his NCAA career.

The Aggies are already in the Top Ten in the 247 Sports transfer rankings, and there will be more to come as Coach Elko drops his signature Money Manziel meme on X (Twitter) for future commits.

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Post Game Recap: No. 12 Texas A&M falls to No. 19 FAU 96-89 in Semifinals of the ESPN Invitational Tournament

The Aggies fall to the Owls in a Top-25 Match in the second round of the ESPN Invitational Tournament

No. 12 Texas A&M (5-1) couldn’t overcome the blistering three-point shooting from FAU (4-1) as they dropped their first game of the season.

The first half was full of action, with both teams shooting lights out. I’m not sure if it’s because of the talent level overall during the season, but they came to shoot in the second round. Through the first, it was like a volleyball game as the ball flew up and down the court. Eventually, FAU built a 12-point lead with about five minutes left in the first half.

Feeling the pressure, Texas A&M locked down on defense and closed out on a 13-3 run. If it wasn’t for the two technical fouls, the Aggies probably went into the half with the lead but instead were down 46-44 at the break. Henry Coleman III went down with a lower leg injury late in the half, creating a massive hole in the Aggies’ offense and rebounding moving forward.

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

FAU’s hot hand continued to start the second half, hitting every open shot possible, running out to an 18-point lead with about 11 minutes left in the game. Not wanting to let the game get away, Taylor IV hit a few big shots to help pull the team within ten halfway through the half.

He wasn’t done; he pulled the Aggies even closer with five straight points, cutting the lead to 78-73 with five minutes left. As the time ticked away, the Aggies could stay close behind the shooting of Taylor and Manny Obaseki down 89-84 with a minute left before Buzz called a time-out.

Unfortunately for the Maroon & White, they would go scoreless for the remainder of the game for a final score of 96-89.

Wade Taylor IV had a career day only to be matched by the FAU defense that scored over 20 points off turnovers and shot a ridiculous 53.3% beyond the arc with 16 made threes.

Below are the Aggie critical contributors from the game:

Wade Taylor IV: 34 points (career high) / 5 assists / 3 rebounds

Manny Obaseki: 13 points / 4 rebounds

Hayden Hefner: 14 points / 1 rebound

Texas A&M will be back in action at 5 p.m. CT. on Sunday for the third-place spot against the Iowa State vs. Virginia Tech game loser.

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With win over Texas A&M, Florida Atlantic proved they are for real

The Owls of Florida Atlantic dropped 90+ points on both Butler and Texas A&M to prove they are not just a fluke but a legit Top 25 team this college basketball season.

Every once in a while, an unheralded mid-major program goes on a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, capturing the hearts of fans everywhere and etching their name into college basketball lore.

Most of the time, however, these programs fade back into relative obscurity within a year or two. Some programs find success for at least another year, like Wichita State’s magical season in 2013-14 following their run to the Final 4 as a nine seed in 2013, but for every story like that there is a Loyola-Chicago, George Mason, or Florida Gulf Coast.

For that reason, fans are often skeptical when a team that went on a deep run is highly regarded the next season in the polls, like Florida Atlantic – who came into the 2023-24 season as the No. 10 ranked team after last year’s run to the Final 4.

Skeptics were rewarded after FAU’s third game, a loss to Bryant where they only managed 52 points, but the Owls have since responded by hanging 91 points on Butler – another NCAA Tournament darling who parlayed their success into a spot in the vaunted Big East Conference – and then scoring 96 on No. 12 ranked Texas A&M on Friday to advance to the ESPN Events Invitational Championship on Sunday, where they will play the winner of Virginia Tech and Iowa State.

The Owls are now in the American Athletic Conference alongside Memphis – their first-round opponent in last year’s NCAA Tournament – and they look primed to have another wildly successful year, potentially bucking the trend of mid-major teams flaming out after Cinderella runs in the big dance.

No team has managed to fully become ‘the next Gonzaga’, who parlayed an Elite 8 run in 1999 into 24 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, but FAU looks more than capable of staying in the limelight at least for 2023-24 and could keep the momentum going for years to come.

Tom Herman announces Casey Thompson as starting QB for FAU

Casey Thompson will be starting for Tom Herman’s Owls.

After stints at Texas and Nebraska, quarterback Casey Thompson reunited with former Longhorns coach Tom Herman at Florida Atlantic. Continue reading “Tom Herman announces Casey Thompson as starting QB for FAU”

Catching up with the Boston Celtics’ 2023 NBA draft workouts Part IV

Let’s dive into who the Celtics might be targeting at No. 35.

Even with the offseason here in earnest, the Boston Celtics have plenty on their plate regarding their future as they continue to work out prospects projected to go in the second round of the ’23 NBA draft.

With the Celtics likely to need cheap depth in the future, look for prospects who are either polished enough to get some real minutes in their rookie campaign or who might be okay with a season or two stashed abroad while the team makes decisions about how it will use the new two way player slot added to rosters in the latest collective bargaining agreement recently adopted by the league.

Adding to our previous reporting of the team’s known workouts comes a new wave of prospects Boston has been working out — let’s dive into who the Celtics might be targeting at No. 35.

College Football: Transfer QB Casey Thompson to visit FAU

A potential Tom Herman and Casey Thompson reunion could be on the horizon.

Former Texas quarterback Casey Thompson is on the move again.

Thompson is searching for a school to play his final year of college eligibility for the 2023 season. He entered the transfer portal as a graduate after playing one season with the Nebraska Cornhuskers. A potential reunion with his former head coach could be on the horizon.

Former Texas and currently FAU head coach Tom Herman is hosting Thompson for a visit this week.

Herman recruited and signed Thompson with the Longhorns in the class of 2018. He served in a backup role for three seasons under Herman until his firing following the 2020 season.

Thompson had an up-and-down year in 2022 for Nebraska. He threw for 2,407 yards, 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while starting 10 games.

The move would make tons of sense for both sides. Herman gets an experienced quarterback to lead his team in year one of the new gig. Thompson can return to the offensive system that he spent three years developing in.

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5 photos that perfectly capture Lamont Butler’s buzzer-beater against FAU

Lamont Butler is magic

If you haven’t seen the shot Lamont Butler hit at the buzzer to send San Diego State to the national championship game on Monday night go ahead and get familiar with it now.

It’ll go down as one of the more iconic shots in men’s NCAA tournament history. Right up there with Mario Chalmers, Kris Jenkins, Christian Laettner and Jalen Suggs.

We’ll be watching it again and again for years to come.

But before the replay gets lodged in our memories forever, take a look at Butler’s magic from a few different angles and bask in all the March Madness glory.

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