FAU is making a move at quarterback. Tom Herman announced Tuesday afternoon that Colorado transfer Kasen Weisman would be seeing an increased workload alongside Cam Fancher against Wagner.
Herman mentioned Weisman’s improvement as a passer throughout the summer and that he has battled through adversity to get to a point where he is able to make a contribution to the offense.
“You know, since he’s gotten here, he’s gotten a lot more zip on the ball. I think he’s playing with more confidence now, when he gets in, simply from this a guy that was sitting in his living room, you know, thinking he was probably never going to play football again, and I don’t know they wanted me telling me telling that story or not, but so if you didn’t, I apologize. But I think it’s pretty cool that, you know, the growth that we’ve seen from him, and not just emotionally and maturity wise, but really physically too, you know, the ball is coming off of his hands with more zip, you know. Like I said, he’s playing a little bit more confidence now than he had, in terms of moving in the pocket, eyes, in the right place, that kind of stuff. So I don’t know that skill set wise, you’re going to see a whole lot different, you know. And I just, you know, I think it’s just going to be a matter of, you know, does he see the game any differently, maybe, or make different decisions? But you know, he’s a good runner, and, you know, a good passer. And I don’t, you know, he’s not going to throw it through that wall, you know, and he’s not going to run for 340 but he’s not a statue, and he’s not it. He does everything really well, let’s, put it that way. I don’t know that he’s got one great tangible quality, but he’s got a lot of really good ones,” Herman said.
Weisman, a redshirt freshman from Douglasville, Georgia, transferred to FAU following one season at Colorado where he did not receive any action during his redshirt year. He was the 27th ranked Dual-Threat QB in the 2023 class, ranked as a 3 star and chose Colorado over Cal, Tulane, Kansas and others.
A standout at South Paulding High School, Weisman started 2 seasons at SPHS where he threw for 4,432 yards, 38 TDs to 19INTs with a 60.4% completion percentage, while also rushing 157 times for 743 yards and 15 TDs.
Originally slated as the 3rd string QB for the Owls, Weisman received his first NCAA snap against FIU when Cam Fancher’s helmet came off. In FAU’s most recent game against UConn, Weisman played the final drive, handing it off twice and having his lone pass fall off the fingers of Caleb Coombs incomplete.
Kasen has been ready for his opportunity for a while according to his mother Wendy, who says he has done all the right things to lead him into this moment.
“He eats, breathes and sleeps football, and he has great instincts”, said Weisman’s mother, Wendy Weisman. “He has always been a player’s player and has always had a natural leadership quality – people seem to follow him.”
FAU has struggled to generate a passing offense so far, as Cam Fancher has been dealing with a finger injury and it just hasn’t clicked so far through his first 4 games. Fancher has thrown for 557 yards 2 TDS and 4 INTs, completing 58.3% of his passes while averaging 5.4 yards per attempt.
Fancher’s biggest strength so far at FAU has been on the ground, as he’s carried it 51 times for 212 yards and a score, while picking up 15 first downs with his legs and having 10 runs of 10 yards or more. It’s expected that he still holds a sizable role in the offense and look for FAU to play to his strengths and capitalize on his rushing ability.
FAU takes on FCS Wagner in week 5 and it is a good opportunity for the staff to see what Weisman brings to the table. It also allows Fancher a bit more of an opportunity to heal his injured finger should FAU dial back his overall reps, while also allowing him to impact the game with his legs.
The Owls need a spark sitting at 1-3 and it will now be on Weisman to provide that and he will have a chance to shine against an FCS school who sits at 2-2, and his mother Wendy says Kasen’s family is elated for his earned opportunity.
“Nothing has ever been given to Kasen, he has worked and earned everything he has accomplished on his own. And we are so proud of him for that”, Weisman said.