FAU capped off their padded practices for the week on Wednesday prior to their scrimmage on Saturday and intensity was at its highest under the Sun as the Owls looked to keep pushing the right buttons to send out the most prepared unit on Saturday winding down the end of FAU fall camp.
Owls RB Coach Chris Perkins spoke with the media following practice and after a season in which FAU dealt with numerous injuries and a “duct taped” together room, this season is set to feature more depth and more talent as the Owls have developed and retained a solid array of talent, and Coach Perkins believes this unit is ready to shine.
“These guys are hard workers, they bring their hard hat everyday they’re very disciplined, they pay attention to detail, and these guys have individual skill sets that they bring that can help us, I’m really excited we have 3-4 guys who can really contribute and help us,” Perkins said on his RB unit heading into this season.
Accordingly, in our next positional preview, we take a look at the Running Back room.
Running Backs
Returners:
Zuberi Mobley, Redshirt Junior, 5’10 196 LBS
Joshua Harriott, Redshirt Freshman, 5’10 185 LBS
Gemari Sands, Redshirt Freshman, 6’0 195 LBS
Xavier Terrell, Redshirt Freshman, 5’8 175 LBS
Keyvon Walker, Sophomore, 5’9 190 LBS
Transfers/Freshman:
Tremonte Underwood Jr, Freshman Miami FL, 5’11 200 LBS
Kaden Shields-Dutton, Freshman Orlando FL, 5’11 215 LBS
CJ Campbell Jr, Transfer Junior FSU, 5’10 202 LBS
Key Returners:
Zuberi Mobley – Mobley (photo right above, Rick Henderson) is the experienced back in this room, heading into his 4th season with the Owls and is a redshirt junior. Mobley saw his biggest load of action in 2022 where he appeared in 12 games and carried it 101 times for 534 yards and 3 TDs, establishing himself as someone with power back skills and solid open field vision. In 2023, Mobley was set to be a feature in a 3 headed monster alongside Larry McCammon and Kobe Lewis, however he suffered a wrist injury which limited him to only 3 games and 22 rushes and in 2024 it is set to be a bounceback year and potentially a bigger role. Mobley has established himself as a leader in this room, and has found a way to continue to fight for first team reps, while also teaching those alongside him. A quiet, but impactful leader, Mobley’s ability to be an asset off the field while also being one of the more experienced backs on the field should allow him to earn a solid role with this RB unit. During Fall Camp Mobley has rotated with Campbell work the first team at running back and it is another situation where the Owls have multiple talented individuals who will be able to contribute in game.
“We’ve been kind of taking it slow with him, but he’s doing everything he’s supposed to do for rehab, and he’s doing well in the weight room. You know, we get reports from Joe and then actually on the field, he’s coming along real well. He’s doing everything live, so I’m pretty sure that he’ll be ready to rock and roll with the strength of his wrist and his shoulder,” said Perkins on Mobley’s health following 2023 set backs.
“I feel like we got 2 different running styles now, so I think we’ll be able to compliment each other especially throughout the spring and fall, the duo we have been able to develop is ready,” Mobley said on forming a dynamic Duo with transfer RB CJ Campbell Jr.
Gemari Sands – Sands heads into his first official season with the Owls after redshirting in 2023 and has a chance to earn a rotational role behind Campbell and Mobley after consistently improving over the past year. Sands has explosive speed and great open field vision, and it showed in his senior year in high school where he averaged 14.3 yards per carry with American Heritage. During camp Sands has been an impressive back, showcasing numerous highlight plays both as a runner and receiver which the latter should allow for him to potentially see rotational snaps during passing plays as a check down. Should Sands continue to impress in practice and in game it’s quite possible we see Sands’ role increase over time and to next season as a potential feature back.
“Germari Sands has been pouring it on since the spring, I’m very pleased with what he’s done in the weight room and also on the field,” Perkins said of Sands’ development during the Owls’ sessions dating back to last Spring:
“I came in the summer so I wasn’t able to get what some people got in the spring, and it was really fast paced as soon as I came in. So it was hard for me to get the right tools and execute, this year I had the spring and offseason so I stayed in my playbook and so when I came out in spring I was able to play with high confidence,” Sands said on the difference between starting as a freshman and now.
Xavier Terrell – Terrell (photo below, Rick Henderson) also heads into his redshirt freshman season with FAU after playing in 2 games and rushing 5 times for 45 yards, also recording 2 receptions for 10 yards. Terrell was able to earn the coaching staff’s trust as a freshman to step up and receive in-game snaps following some injuries to the Owls top backs last season. A dynamic and elusive back, Terrell has the shiftiness to be a problem in open space for the Owls and he showcased that last season in limited snaps. Terrell has been able to rotate in with second team during fall camp and has found a role as a pass catching back, while also continuing to increase his reps rushing the ball. Terrell’s versatility should allow him to build a solid rotational role for himself, especially with the multiple back sets and consistent rotation that you see in this Owls offense.
“I feel like I became more detailed in the run game, pass game, catching the ball out of the backfield and my blocking. Learning how to block a scheme and our O-Line and my main thing has been staying healthy,” Terrell said.
Key Newcomer:
CJ Campbell Jr. – The Louisiana native is a former walk-on at FSU, and turned down a scholarship offer from FCS Davidson to compete as a PWO at a higher level. While he was unable to crack the top of the depth chart in Tallahassee, he contributed on special teams and at various times got playing time at RB and found a way to make an impact.
Campbell Jr. came to FSU in 2021 and did not see the field, but was the scout team player of the year for FSU. In 2022, he rushed 18 times for 64 yards with 2 scores and in 2023 he had 7 carries for 117 yards with 1 score, while also getting the nod as the starter in the ACC championship game.
Campbell played on both sides of the ball in high school playing strong safety and of course, running back. In only 8 games as a senior, he had 2,210 all purpose yards (1,351 rush) and 25 touchdowns including 1 kick return. He was a star running back, but also contributed on the defensive side of the ball and his junior year he won his teams defensive player of the year award.
Campbell will have another challenge ahead of him as he competes with returning Owls Xavier Terrell and Zuberi Mobley among others for the starting job. If you ask his high school coach Keith Bland, nobody will work harder for it than he will.
“I’ve been in education for 29 years and coaching for half of that, I don’t think I could compare another young man that I’ve seen that’s worked as hard as CJ does,” Bland said in an interview with WMBB Panama City.
His competitive edge on the field also translated to the classroom, as he finished with a 4.6 GPA during high school and finished as an ACC Honor Roll student and Seminole scholar.
Coming to the Owls in the spring Campbell (photo below, Rick Henderson) has impressed, starting with the spring game where he opened the afternoon with a 75 yard tote to the endzone, and he hasn’t stopped from there as during fall camp he has broken off numerous runs and set himself apart as a really explosive running back. Campbell’s ability to both contribute as a power runner and elusive one in open space is something that will help him shine in this offense, and it has allowed him to gain many 1st team reps during fall camp.
Battling through adversity in life, in the classroom and on the field Campbell has continually bet on himself and found a way to thrive, going from a 5’7 165 pound freshman with no D1 offers, to having the opportunity to play for 2 D1 schools in Florida. Look for Campbell to take the Owls and AAC by storm this upcoming fall.
“CJ is a student of the game, he wants to understand the reasons and the whys, and he’s very detailed. And then his physical ability, you’ve seen him in the spring break 75 yard runs. He’s always doing it in practice. He has the home run ability so the sky’s the limit with CJ based upon his want to get there,” Perkins said.
“Since I’ve been here, being in the running back from with Coach Perkins he harps on the details, who we are reading, what front we have, what to look at. In terms of vision, I feel like that is the biggest thing that has grown for me, at FSU I would have flashes here and there but my vision would be off at times, when it comes to knowing the plays and what to look at that’s a major thing and that’s how I’ve been able to break off big runs,” commented Campbell on on what he’s developed in his game.
Long-Time Teammates Owls Redshirt freshman running backs Gemari Sands and Xavier Terrell have been teammates for 4 seasons now, having won a state title at Saint Thomas Aquinas together in their senior year. That relationship has developed into a bond which allows the 2 to compete and train together and better each other day in and day out. Sands believes that this fall camp has brought the 2 even closer as they continue to take more reps together on the field.
“It’s me and my guy, we played together, he came in my junior year and we played 2 seasons together, so it’s all love between me and Xavier, and since taking those reps together we always push ourselves to do better,” Sands said.
Scouts in Paradise Attending practice today at FAU were scouts from the Houston Texans, Detroit Lions and Green Bay packers. Although they weren’t scouting anyone specific, the Owls have multiple draft eligible players on the roster, who may receive draft looks when it comes around next offseason. Expect to see an array of pro scouts at Owls games this fall, as with the influx of veteran talent that has come in this offseason for FAU could lead to an array of new pro owls headed to the NFL in the upcoming year.
Coaches Corner
RB Coach Chris Perkins headlined our time in video interviews.