2025 American Conference Kickoff – Florida Atlantic Takes the Stage

Head Coach Zach Kittley, QB Caden Veltkamp, and DT Bryce Langston were in Charlotte the past two days representing FAU Football during the 2025 American Conference Kickoff.

After a Thursday full of picture taking, social media appearances, and a dinner/batting practice in the heart of the Queen City, the media had their opportunity to catch up with the Owls on Friday.

Here is your recap after Florida’s Atlantic’s spotlight on Friday.

The Owls Remarks

Head Coach Zach Kittley​

In his first season as the Owls Head Coach, Kittley had his first Media Day Presser as the leader of a team. In his roughly 8 minutes on the stage, Kittley spoke highly of the University, the two players that tagged along for the trip, and some that stayed home in Paradise.

The first notable bit Kittley shared in his opening statement was his thoughts on the American Conference, “You talk about the best conference in the group of six, and there’s no doubt that it is the American Conference.”

Kittley, 33, is the youngest HC in the FBS division of College Football. With his air raid offense approach, fresh mind, and high paced team, the Owls could be a great threat in the American for years to come.

It is not just Kittley’s fun style of offense that has made him stand out with Owls fans. Kittley gave his opinion on Owl Great, Howard Schnellenberger.

Coach Kittley touched on his relationship with expected Owls starter Caden Veltkamp, “he and I are extremely close.I think that’s what makes a great quarterback coach combination. It’s that genuine love for each other that we have. I mean, I’m only 33 and I know he’s 22 but he seems like a son to me, you know, and we’re extremely close.” 

When asked if Caden was “getting slept on”, Coach responded with this, “I think he’s getting slept on a lot. You’re talking about one of the top passers in the country from last year, Conference Player of the Year. He’s not getting the notoriety that he needs, but same time, he’s got a chip on his shoulder, and I’m expecting a huge year from him. I’m giving him, what I call the keys to the Ferrari this offense, and I’m going to let him go.”

Coach Kittley highlighted a few players that have been great leaders during the Spring and Summer. Including Veltkamp and Langston, Kittley also mentioned the names of LB Tyler Stolsky, DB Derrick Rogers, DL CJ Doggette, WR Easton Messer, and OL Alex Atcavage. Kittley shared at the end of his presser that Atcavage is the leader he has been high on.

Caden Veltkamp & Bryce Langston

The two players that traveled with Coach Kittley had their opportunity to shine in the spotlight on Friday. The two spoke during the ESPN+ stream live from Charlotte.

Veltkamp was recruited by Kittley when the now Owls HC was coaching for Western Kentucky. Caden explained on Friday, “Me and Coach Kit stayed in contact throughout the years while he was at Texas Tech… whenever Kittley got the job, I texted him and congratulated him. Then when I got into the portal, he texted me, asked me what happened, what I was looking for. This ended up being the right spot for me.”

Langston shared what he liked about Kittley, “Coach Kittley, he’s just a great guy. All around. He’s not a coach, he’s a great person. He takes care of us.

Commissioner Tim Pernetti & "The American"

Entering his second year as the Commissioner of the American, Tim Pernetti has been vocal about his vision for the conference in collegiate sports. On Friday he shared the conference’s success from last Fall, and his opinions on the landscape of College Football.

A major part of Pernetti’s speech was the transfer portal. “The current structure is a threat to the game, to team culture, to coaches building programs and student-athletes as constant motion de-emphasizes commitment and the true benefits of collegiate athletics,” shared Pernetti.

The Owls had their fair share of transfers last season. In total, 33 players entered the portal according to 247Sports.

Pernetti continued on the Portal, “We need one portal window at the appropriate time of the year. Student-athletes should absolutely have the opportunity to transfer one time freely… But any transfer beyond that should perhaps require a year in waiting.”

Another topic of interest was the AAC becoming the American. “After a year-long process, on Monday, we officially launched the new modernized brand identity of the American Conference,” said Pernetti. Other than the name change, Pernetti shared that the conference “defined our values. Innovation. Grit. And Service. It’s who we are! We introduced a rally call: Built to Rise. It’s a mindset.”

Alongside the change brought a first of its kind “Conference Mascot”, Soar the Eagle. Pernetti shared, “The American is the first collegiate conference to pioneer a new model of conference branding that leverages intellectual property, much like we see in professional sports.”

Preseason Poll

The American did not hold a preseason poll this season. Why? Not too sure. But thanks to our Owl counterparts from AtTheRoost, we took part in an American Conference Media Poll to give us a solid gauge before the season.

During the 2024 Media Days, FAU was voted to finish Sixth in the conference. With how the season played out last year, the Owls finished 3-9, 1-7 American. That equated to a 13th place finish in the then AAC.

This season, Florida Atlantic is a projected Ninth Place finisher. Tulane is the favorite to win the conference with Navy and Memphis also receiving votes.

There is no need to fret about the poll results. As we all know football is played on the field, not on a piece of paper.

Look Ahead

With Fall Camp just around the corner for Florida Atlantic, the American Conference Kickoff answered a few of the many questions Owls’ fans, coaches, and players have before kickoff against Maryland. 

With a young leader, tenacious players, and a hungry fanbase, the 2025 Owls squad will be an exciting one to cover this season.

Facebook Comments Box