The wide receiver room is going to be at the forefront of the FAU offense in 2025, as Zach Kittley’s pass heavy offense looks to play basketball on turf in turf in paradise. There is a mix of returning talent and talented newcomers, both through the portal and high school at wide receiver, which combined with an offensive savant in Kittley and incoming QB Caden Veltkamp make for a ton of potential offensively.
Long time receivers coach DJ McCarthy returns to FAU for his 3rd stint to lead the unit after spending the last 2 seasons at Bethune Cookman and with McCarthy comes years of veteran leadership and connections, some of which he has used to tap into the local high school talent as well as the transfer portal. With McCarthy’s leadership and a versatile wide receiver room, this room has real potential to help this offense reach their goals and it will be a unit to keep an eye on heading into the year.
Below is a look at the WR room, as well as quotes from McCarthy and transfer WR JR Wilson.
Returners:
Redshirt junior- Jayshon Platt, 6’1 195 lbs
Grad Student- BJ Alexander, 6’3 198 lbs
Redshirt junior- Joe Young, 6’1 195 lbs
Senior- Caleb Coombs, 5’11 180 lbs
Redshirt junior- Dom Henry, 5’11 185 lbs
Redshirt sophomore- Jabari Smith, 5’10 170 lbs
Sophomore- Leon Washington Jr, 5’8, 170 lbs
Senior- Jett Coolman, 6’0 180 lbs
Senior- Buck Mitchell, 5’10 180 lbs
Redshirt Freshman- Nick Venezia, 5’10 170 lbs
Although many rosters are built through the portal nowadays, arguably the most important unit in this FAU offense will most likely see a lot of production from returners next season. 7 out 10 10 returners have seen significant playing time over the past 2 seasons at FAU with Caleb Coombs leading the way with 51 career catches, most of which coming during 2023 at Marshall.
Jayshon Platt and BJ Alexander are two FAU veterans, as Alexander has been with the program since 2020 under Willie Taggart, while Platt has been here since 2022 and used his redshirt season this past year. Young, Coombs, Henry, Smith and Washington Jr. all in their second year with the Owls, with the first 3 transferring in last season, while Smith and Washington Jr both saw playing time as a freshman in 2024.
There is opportunity to earn a spot in this wide receiver room and the 5 who we mentioned all have a shot at earning playing time, especially due to their versatility in playing multiple spots on the field. Look for Platt and Alexander to compete for snaps on the outside and after Joe Young looked to be a potential weapon for this offense last season before going down to injury, with a solid balance of speed and size he could earn himself a role this season once again.
Sophomores Jabari Smith and Leon Washington Jr both impressed during their freshman year, each earning playing time down the stretch and finding ways to break through in a down year for the offense as a whole and now under Kittley, both have a chance to breakout even further.
Whether it’s sophomores looking to breakout, or veterans looking to breakthrough, there are opportunities and potential across the board this offseason for returning wide receivers and it will be something to keep an eye on in 2025.
Newcomers:
Freshman: Braden Hoch, 6’3 193 lbs
Freshman: Mykel Calixte, 6’4 200 lbs
Freshman: Jade Card, 6’3, 200 lbs
Transfer, Redshirt Sophomore: Asaad Waseem, 5’11 175 lbs
Transfer, Redshirt junior: Easton Messer, 5’9 190 lbs
Transfer, Senior: JR Wilson, 6’4 212 lbs
6 newcomers joined the WR unit this offseason, 3 freshman and 3 transfers with all 3 portal WRs figuring to have a path to playing time and although the path to the field as a freshman will be tough, all 3 have the talent to get there.
In terms of the portal, JR Wilson looks to be a major piece for this offense on the outside, as his 6 ‘4 212 pound frame will give him an advantage in what he describes as “90-10” jump-balls and give this offense a chain mover. Messer is the most experienced of the bunch, with nearly 100 career catches, over 1200 yards and 9 scores to his names in 3 years at Western Kentucky and his connection with Caden Veltkamp could help this offense excel early on.
Asaad Waseem pictured via Rick Henderson
Asaad Waseem transfers in from Colorado and although he didn’t see the field in a stacked wide receivers room in Boulder, he was a highly recruited 3 star in high school and a Kittley led offense could help him capitalize on his talent.
As for the freshman, it’s unknown this early into camp who will see playing time and who may redshirt, however Hoch, Calixte and Card all have the size to compete at this level right away and if everything else comes together over the next few months, Coach Kittley has already said there is open position battles and it’s always possible a freshman steals the show.
Quotes from WR’s Coach DJ McCarthy:
On the offense being similar to what Lane Kiffin ran at FAU:
“So start with personnel wise, I think we have a great mix of some big guys, some little quick guys, some guys that play inside, got a couple of guys that play inside and outside. Got a couple of returners in the room as well. So we got, we got the mix that we need and that we’re looking for, as far as when you put a wide receiver room together, then yes, the offense is similar to what we did back in 17 and 19, when Lane was here, couple of different nuances and stuff. You know, just guys. The OC head coach is unbelievable, like he’s (Kittley) an offensive guru, a savant, as they say, and he knows exactly what he wants to do on offense. And if we, if we can get the kids to execute the way he wants, we’ll have a chance to break some records,” McCarthy said.
On Kittley affecting recruiting
“So we’ve already had two or three guys on campus that we probably wouldn’t have on campus in recent years. You know when you got a guy offensively who has the type of reputation that he has been throughout his career, called in office. He averages 34.2 points a game. And then when he was in Conference USA, Western Kentucky, you think about it, threw for 6000 yards, which is unheard of in college football. So we had some success here at 19 threw, for about 4000 you know, with what he does with an offense, how he calls it, how he moves things around, manipulates things. We can get the guys buying in and executed. We got a chance to do something special here,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy on leaders in the room
Let’s start with some of the new guys that we recruited in so Jr (Wilson) who came in from Virginia, and everything that you know myself, Chris and Kittley, we went through this process. We started with relationships, right? I know we got the NIL and all this money and all that type of stuff, but I still I’m a relationship type of guy, and I believe with the guys that I’ve been able to impact throughout the my coaching career over the last 30 years, in 1994 has their vocal from high school, from 2009 2019, when I was here, like building those relationships allow you to get your foot in the door. So we was able to get Jr from Virginia, because his high school coach, i coached at Bethune, and then talk of some of the other guys that was able to get, you know the old the head coach, OC we recruited a couple of kids to Western Kentucky, who was able to get the transfer from Western Kentucky. So those type of relationships, Aseem coming in from Colorado, his dad and I are Frat brothers. I’ve known him since he was six years old, it’s all about relationships with those guys. As we build the foundation, we got some guys who are difference makers that have been injured, like Joe (Young) and BJ, so we’re hoping to get those guys back, and then get those guys unhealthy on the field, because we know they’re healthy, they can do some good things… Someone’s waiting and I got my first opportunity to play college football when someone got hurt, and I was able to run in and get my first college catch at Stanford. So I’m looking for that guy who’s going to be ready to go when the numbers call. So something’s going to happen, someone’s going to go down, someones gonna be tired. Always next, man up for me, because I believe if you’re in the room and we put you on the field, I believe that guy can play, and he will perform,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy on the WR room establishing a depth chart:
“We won’t have a whole bunch of subs like that. You know. We’ll have our first group and our first four or five guys that come off the bench if someone gets hurt. You know, personnel wise, we got a big old 6’4 guy. So if we want to jump, of course, we’re going to throw the ball to him, but yeah, like, we will identify those top four to six guys, and we’ll ride with those. Those other guys will be, you know, depth guys who will help us on special teams,” McCarthy said.
Thoughts on Veltkamp
“I had a chance to see him at the Boca Bowl. You know, he was the backup, the guy started being the Offensive Player of the Year in that conference, and to get a chance to see it. And the most impressive thing about him is when I used to go visit my NFL buddy, Curtis Johnson, you know, different places, different receiver coaches, and I’m calling around those guys. I used to like to sit in the room with the quarterbacks. Well, we did that the other day, 7 on 7, he got to run the room. And he was it. He sounded, I thought he was in there with Drew Brees, like the way, you know, rich Gannon, the way he’s running the room. It’s just like, No, I want you to do this. This is what I’m thinking. He was able to give the receivers his thought process, how he sees things, and that’s just huge, because now we’re in his head, we can hear what he’s saying. Now we know when to break it off, how to break it up, what he’s thinking, so we know how to get to those spots so we can be successful,” McCarthy said.
Thoughts on the chemistry between QBs & special teams
“It’s really good. And what we’re trying to do, Coach Kittley, is doing a good job rotating quarterbacks around. So it’s not just the one receiver, one quarterback, he’s been able to rotate quarterbacks around and hit the different guys in the different groups, and we’ve been able to move some guys around because of injury and depth situations. So you know, it starts with the man up top, with the head guy, coordinator, and then you know what Caden is doing on offense and how we run things. And, I mean, we just follow the lead, right? So, you know, receivers are the most selfish people on the field, because they always want the ball, but they have to understand, if we do things the right way and the way it’s grown up, everyone’s going to get an opportunity, like I said, basketball and grass and we’re all going to be shooting threes,” McCarthy said.
Standout WR to watch
“We are still waiting on Joe to come off injury Some of the young guys up here, Dom is really stepping up. Caleb, he’s doing a good job with a couple of deep balls in the scrimmage. Buck is stepping up. You know, Bucks doing what $3 does, right? He’s gonna give you 100% effort. And I mean, those guys are really working hard. Everyone’s working hard. So, you know, you’re gonna get a chance to make a play. We got two more scrimmages to really when the lights come out, because practice is one thing. But when those lights come on that Friday night for the spring game, you’re really gonna get a chance to see what they can do,” McCarthy said.
Quotes from Wr JR Wilson:
Wilson on the transfer process
“Just overall, just my whole transfer process, initially was one that was very unusual for me, and I was very unaware about it. I was very skeptical, and didn’t know where I was going to find home if the right place was the right fit for me. But ever since I’ve been here, I loved it, the weather, just the environment and coaches out and around every day, from the strength staff to the student managers, just everyone is very friendly, and it’s a very caring environment. And I’m just so excited. I love the offense we run. It’s very receiver friendly, and it’s very air raid. And so that’s what I believe the most excited about. But I can’t complain. It’s been my greatest year so far, since I started here, and I’m just, I’m excited about everything about it so far,” Wilson said.
On adjusting to Florida
“The thing I can definitely say that the weather has been very hot, especially today, like that was a real big factor for me. Really used to playing in a heat year round. Usually in Virginia it only gets hot around summertime and everything. I feel like that’s going to be a big factor for us as well, being that we practice in a hot lot. So we’re used to being tired and going against other teams, who are not really used to it, seeing Temple and when they come down to our house, just the heat as well. I feel like that’ll be a great advantage for us, but for me personally, I feel like that’s the only thing I’ve really been struggling with, is just the heat and everything, because I’m not really used to it. But I feel like after we get to fall camp, I’ll be ready for it,” Wilson said.
On what he saw in the offense
“I just see a lot is just, it’s really quarterback friendly. It really has, the kind of control is not just one play call, like the quarterback has free will to kind of do whatever you want. As you see, which I like, you gotta put the ball in the players hands, like you get a call, but it’s really you out there. You make him play. What you see is what you see. So I feel like just Caden having that leeway to kind of really do what he wants is going to make it better for us, because, you know, he can see a matchup that he likes, and it’s just I like my guy better than your guy. And it’s just sometimes coaches will allow quarterbacks to do that. I feel like being that Caden has that ability is what’s going to help us go far in the fall,” Wilson said.
On the chemistry of the WR room
“I love my receiver room. I feel like everybody wants to work. It’s a great camaraderie. I’m liking everything. I’m seeing somebody I could say I’m really, really close with. I’m trying to look over is Mykel, just being that he’s a younger guy, I see he’s tall like me, and just trying to really instill like, you know, hey, you could play this year, just doing the right things, just not doing the freshman things, because it’s coming from experience. I didn’t have somebody who was in my ear like that. So I just want to go forward, make sure I’m that bigger brother for someone who, like Mykel, we have the same skill set, body type and everything, I see myself in him. So I’m just trying to really just give him all my knowledge from being in college for a few years. That’s just gonna make us overall better. Because, you know, I would love to play 60 snaps a game, but if I’m playing 60 snaps every day, my body will deteriorate. So I just feel like just instilling, you know, hard work, the playbook and everything, and just locking in off this bonding off the field and the younger guys is really going to help,” Wilson said.