Florida Atlantic Football is in hot pursuit of a bowl game, but they are also keeping their foot on the gas on the recruiting trail. That was in evidence on Friday afternoon, as the Owls landed a commitment from former UTEP cornerback Kam Herring.
The 6’1 165 pound Tennessee native is currently attending East Central Community College (MS) where he transferred this past offseason after spending his freshman year at UTEP.
Zach Kittley and his staff have been successful in recruiting the JUCO ranks so far and Herring continues that trend into their 2026 recruiting class. According to Herring, the FAU staff made it clear that they wanted him in Boca Raton and that played a large part in his decision to commit.
“FAU just felt right from the start. You know, they were one of the only schools that really recruited me hard and consistently just showed love. And, you know, family is big for me, and that’s exactly what I felt when I got on campus for my visit. I felt the real connection with the coaches, and I actually had a bond with a lot of the coaching staff, because they recruited me out of high school, so it just felt right to pick up where we left off,” Herring said.
Herring isn’t entirely sure what led the FAU coaching staff to target him, but once DB coach Antonio Fenelus watched him practice, it became obvious there was a fit.
“I’m not sure what drew them to me, but a lot of the coaches knew me in high school, and they heard about me being JUCO, and I had met Coach Yo (Fenelus), he came to the practice. We chopped it up. He had watched me practice. We locked it in after that, and ever since that day, they just have been recruiting me extremely hard and consistently,” Herring said.
Herring redshirted during his lone season at UTEP; however, he had a decorated high school career during his time at Collierville High School (TN). Earning a three star rating from 247, Herring recorded 7 interceptions and 18 PBUs across 21 games during his high school career.
After not cracking the field at UTEP, Herring has gotten back to being a lockdown corner at ECCC. In 7 games this season, Herring has notched 15 tackles and 4 pass breakups.
Going to JUCO has been a humbling experience for Herring, but he has used his opportunity to showcase his passion for the game.
“Originally, to start off out of high school, I went to UTEP and then I hit the transfer portal to a JUCO, you know, that was kind of a very humbling experience. Just going from d1 to JUCO, that was a very humbling experience. Being in JUCO as a player, you got to be hungry. You got to know, it’s kill be killed. In JUCO, you have to ruin someone’s night. You got to just put something on your highlight tape. I feel like I’ve been excelling on the field and just showing that hunger in me, showing trying to do my best to just get anywhere on the field,” Herring said.
Herring’s self described biggest strength is his versatility and he has showcased that this season. Despite normally being an outside corner, Herring has stepped up and played nickel because that is what his current team needed.
“I actually got my position switched to nickel. I’m originally a cornerback, but I’m going to FAU to play corner, but in my JUCO, I’ve been playing nickel, and I just feel like that has shown that I’m versatile on the field. I could be placed anywhere on the field and just excel anywhere,” Herring said.
FAU has been able to find success on the defensive side of the ball with JUCO recruits, as Terez Reid and Khmari Johnson, among others, have been able to make the leap and make an impact right away for the Owls.
Seeing the success of others coming from a similar level was an encouraging sign, and during his official visit, Herring mentioned he heard nothing but positives from current players which was undoubtedly reassuring.
“After the game, I went to chill with D Will (Dillion Williams) and T Reid (Terez Reid), and Damarius McGee. And basically I was doing what any other player on a visit would want to do and just asking the players what they think of it and how they’re liking it and everything. And I’ve heard nothing but positive stuff. You know, I didn’t hear one negative thing. And they actually said everything that the coaches said. So that just that played a big role in my commitment, because it’s like, okay, the players saying the exact same thing that the coaches are saying. You know that that means the coaches are keeping it real. They are being honest. So that played a big role in my commitment,” Herring said.
Herring attended FAU’s win over Tulsa, and outside of seeing a homecoming victory, he also witnessed one of the best defensive performances of the season for the Owls. The aggressiveness of the defense was Herring’s biggest takeaway from the game, as the “hunger” he witnessed from the defense matched his intensity and leaves him hopeful for the future.
“Yes, I saw that a lot of the players were hungry, like, especially the players on the back end, like the defensive backs were all over everything, like they are aggressive corners. And that’s what I feel like the type of player I am. I’m a very aggressive defensive back, so when I was seeing that on the field on game day, it just kind of put a smile on my face, because it’s like, I knew this would be the right place for me,” Herring said.