One of the main focal points for this Saturday is how well Florida is going to hold up against the fast tempo that FAU likes to employ on offense. What hasn’t been looked at as much is the matchup between Florida’s wide receivers and FAU’s secondary.
When you look at who FAU might start in their secondary, their depth falls apart in a heartbeat, and Florida’s cache of wide receivers should feast.
So with that in mind, this is who FAU is potentially starting in the secondary on Saturday, according to OurLads and CFB Update.
Florida should have a field day against FAU's secondary
CB Damarius McGhee, No. 4 - Former four-star prospect out of Pensacola who signed with LSU but seldom saw the field. After a pit stop at Kansas, he finally settled in at FAU last year and took over 400 snaps. Held his own decently enough in coverage and had four PBUs, but his tackling is also suspect, as he has a missed tackle rate of over 20%.
CB JK Johnson, No. 23 - On paper, JK Johnson will be on the other side of McGhee. He is a former top-50 overall prospect from the class of 2021 who landed with Ohio State and did get over 400 snaps in 2022. He struggled to hold up in coverage and transferred to LSU, where he lasted a year before spending last season with Oklahoma State. He is, on paper, by far the weaker corner, and in four years of college football to this point, he has two career pass breakups.
NB Damon Allen, No. 0 - FAU’s nickle/STAR corner is unheralded three-star Damon Allen. He was thrust into action last year as a freshman, and he looked every bit like a low-tier three-star. He had a bunch of missed tackles and just one pass breakup.
S Tyson Rooks, No. 19 - Another journeyman in his 5th season of college football, Tyson Rooks started out as a three-star wide receiver for Illinois, but he switched over to the defensive side. Rooks seldom saw the field, however, beyond special teams. This is his first year with FAU, and what’s notable is that the Owls only have one specific safety listed on their roster. But based on depth charts out there, Rooks seems to be in line to be a safety even though he is listed as a DB.
S Jayden Sweeny, No. 22 - Another lower-tier three-star in the class of 2022, Jayden Sweeny started out at Liberty before transfering to FAU last year. Sweeny took 515 snaps last year, but like many others in FAU’s secondary, he had a high missed tackle rate along with minimal impact on the play.
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