FAU hit the practice fields once again for their 12th day of Fall camp. Another gorgeous morning in South Florida was the backdrop to a very vocal day of practice. With kickoff coming soon, it’s now about making sure the players are prepared for the season.
After highlighting the cornerbacks in our positional preview on Monday, Wednesday’s media availability was spent watching the safeties. The Owls last line of defense dealt with depth concerns last season, but looks to turn those comments around in 2025.
Day 12 Comments
Since Monday, we have focused quite a bit on the secondary. Yesterday, we spoke with Jayden Sweeney while on Wednesday we had the chance to talk to DC Brett Dewhurst, CB Chris Tooley, and S Kyle Boylston.
For starters, Dewhurst shared that the secondary has been battling with a few injuries during camp, but looks to be fully healthy by week one. The DC considered the extra reps for the backups important as he said, “It’s honestly been good. It’s been good that the guys that are getting a lot of reps right now. Whether they’re with the ones or with the twos, that would have been with the twos or threes…, we’re seeing if they can handle it all a little bit faster.”
For a secondary that had to play multiple Owls that were either hurt or inexperienced last season, it’s a great sign for Florida Atlantic’s defense.
CB Chris Tooley
The Junior enters the 2025 season with a major chip on his shoulder. After a decent freshman year in 2023, Tooley had to deal with an injury that kept him sidelined until the final two weeks of the season.
Now, with a new coaching staff around him, the Floridian has been a standout during camp. Dewhurst spoke about Tooley on Wednesday saying, “I think it’s his time now. He’s been a kind of rotational piece started here a little bit. And so he’s going to play a lot, and going to play a lot of different roles for us at nickel, can move him to safety, move him to corner, and be on special teams too.”
Tooley also highlighted himself as a leader for the team. The role makes sense as he is expected to spend time on special teams and in the DB rotation. While Tooley mentioned meeting a “standard” for himself throughout camp, when asked what would happen if the team met his “standard” he shared, “We could be a very good group. We could honestly do some big shot type of things. Sure, if we really lock in and bond and get everything down, like the way we want, and practice hard, we could really be a special group, for sure.
While his time as a defensive starter is not here yet, Tooley looks to be on pace for a decent 2025 season that could line up nicely for a starting role next year.
The Safeties
Owls Returners
Kyle Boylston – Redshirt Freshman, 6’0, 185 lbs
The two sport athlete has been another Owl that has made improvements since last year. After taking a redshirt last season, this will be the first year Boylston (top picture, Rick Henderson) has a chance to see the field.
The Orange Park native shared some of his improvements, but Coach Dewhurst contrasted Boylston’s Spring to Fall camp on the defensive side, “His communication has been unbelievable out there with the checks and, continue working on some physicality, which he knows, but he’s come a long way.”
Boylston will be a part of the 2nd-3rd string rotation as he is one of the many DBs to be “cross-trained” for multiple roles on defense. This will most likely be another year to improve for the redshirt freshman as playing time should be at a minimum for the baseball-football athlete.
Mike Wright – Sophomore, 5’10, 180 lbs
Last season was a limited role defensively for Wright as he spent 11 games on special teams last season. Wright saw time on the defensive side of the ball as a DB last year and recorded an interception in the FAU win against Tulsa.
HC Zach Kittley’s second presser of camp, Wright’s name was mentioned when coach Kittley was asked about finding his five defensive backs.
During our viewing period of drills on Wednesday, Wright looked to be one of the more physical guys in the safeties room. From a great launch during a pressing drill, to looking more dialed in then those around him, the sophomore seems to be in line for a major role in the secondary this year.
Our @FAUFootball Player Interview Reel for DAY 1⃣2⃣ Featuring @JaydenSweeney5 @ChrisTooley15 @BoylstonKyle ROLL it Fellas 🎞️ 🦉🦉🦉 #FAU pic.twitter.com/L23Okz4zRY
— FAU Owls Nest (@FAU_Owls_Nest) August 13, 2025
Key Incoming Owls
Jayden Sweeney – Redshirt Junior, 5’11, 190 lbs
Fall Camp has been great for Sweeney, but he was another one of the Owls that impressed me on Wednesday. Alongside Wright, the redshirt junior was being praised throughout the safeties coverage drills, and looked to be another defensive back that stood out among the rest.
Coach Kittley highlighted Sweeney in his presser on Tuesday, “He’s been awesome. He’s one of our leaders already in the back end. Great mentality, great upbeat guy. Really like [that] he’s a physical safety, and so he can really get involved down there in the box and make tackles. He’s one of the guys that’s really flashed as far as making those one on one open field tackles. He’s been able to get the ball down.”
Praise from the head coach always leads to attaboys, but Sweeney’s experience as a CUSA winner and participation in the Fiesta Bowl really put Sweeney in a leadership role early. Kittley’s comments give a great confidence in Sweeney being a starter come game time against the Terps.
Chris Keys – Senior, 6’0, 190 lbs
Another name mentioned by Coach Kittley when asked about the DB room, Keys was one of FAU’s many portal additions during the Spring. The Senior has spent time starting for two P4 programs in Indiana for and Mississippi State the last two seasons so he brings a lot of experience with him.
Coach Dewhurst shared that Keys has done it all during his collegiate playing time, “He’s played corner, nickel, dime, safety. So for us, he’s a guy that’s gonna cross-train and play multiple positions.” That answers the role of Keys this year as the Senior will be a part of a DB rotation.
On Tuesday, S Jayden Sweeney shared that Keys was one of two safeties that fit a physical play still. The aggressiveness of Keys has been seen throughout camp, as the years of experience look to have paid off for him so far.
Dillion Williams – Redshirt Senior, 5’11, 190 Lbs
Williams has been considered a “physical” player and had an impressive day earlier in camp where he recorded an interception in the end zone and a few hard hits during a scrimmage on day 7 of camp.
The redshirt senior comes from North Texas after spending the 2024 season with UTEP. There, Williams started in all 12 games and had 34 tackles with an interception.
While Williams brings a lot of experience with him, the battle has been tough thanks to how many DBs have joined the Owls. Williams will most likely see a reserve type of role and come in when called on this season.
Remaining Incoming Owls
Dominick Davis – Freshman, 6’2, 180 lbs
Overall Thoughts
While coaching staff praise is normal during Fall camp, this staff seems very excited about the safeties and DBs overall. It looks to be for a good reason as in the very limited amount of time we have seen the room they have looked impressive. With injuries not being a problem, a room with a solid mix of young talent, and seasoned veterans should be a fun position to watch, but the Owls last line of defense looks to hold up nicely against the competition they will face this season.
Up Next
Florida Atlantic will take Thursday off before returning to Fall Camp on Friday. The day will highlight the offensive line as OL coach Stephen Hamby will be joined by a couple of Owls to break down the O-line.