Former “Last Chance U” star Tim Bonner making his mark on FAU’s special teams.

BOCA RATON — Florida Atlantic defensive lineman Tim Bonner is no stranger to making the most of bad situations.

He was kicked off the Louisville football team, landed at a junior college known for players searching for second chances and turned it into a positive by joining FAU during the summer.

His lack of playing time this season with the Owls is no different. He’s made the most of it by becoming the team’s most dedicated special teams player.

“He’s one of the best kickoff coverage guys in the country,” FAU coach Lane Kiffin said.

When he arrived, Bonner was hardly pegged as a gunner on kickoffs. He was supposed to bolster the defensive line, but it hasn’t gone according to plan. Bonner has yet to crack the rotation, leaving special teams as his only opportunity to shine.

“I did that all my life, in high school,” Bonner said. “That’s how I got recruited, just because of special teams. Nobody looked at me for defense. That’s where all my big-time offers came from.”

Bonner was one of Alabama’s top high school recruits, signing with Louisville in 2014. He redshirted as a freshman before being expelled from school for allegedly having a handgun in his dorm.

He then enrolled at East Mississippi Community College, a school that was the subject of the Netflix documentary “Last Chance U.” Most of the roster had been booted out of major programs.

After originally committing to Ole Miss, Bonner made a last-minute switch to FAU after Kiffin was hired in December. The thought was Bonner would immediately compete for playing time, but some struggles and depth at that position have prevented that.

“We are a little bit stockpiled there,” Kiffin said. “In the spring, we were a little bit down with some injuries. Some guys have really played well there. It’s probably our deepest position on the team, so it’s kind of hard to break in.”

It didn’t help that Bonner made mistakes when given the chance to play defense. In limited playing time, he has already jumped offside twice.

Bonner said he felt that dropped him on the depth chart.

“That kind of knocked my trust down with the coaches,” Bonner said. “I’m training to gain it back. It’s going to take a while.”

Bonner has taken out his aggression on kick and punt coverage. He has five tackles, with most coming on special teams. Teammates have started to make an effort to watch him run down the field on coverage plays because they know they will see a powerful collision.

As defensive end Ernest Bagner said, Bonner’s hits often give the defense “momentum to get on the field and get a stop.”

“The whole team is locked in as soon as the kickoff starts because we know Tim is going to catch somebody,” Bagner said.

While Bonner is enjoying with helping the Owls on special teams, he isn’t content. He wants to eventually breakthrough and become a starter so he can contribute more consistently.

“I just got to wait my time, be patient,” he said.