FAU defensive tackle Cameron returns to team a day after tweeting his departure.

BOCA RATON — Florida Atlantic defensive tackle Charles Cameron’s hiatus from the football team lasted for only a day.

A day after saying he was leaving the team, Cameron was back on the practice field Thursday. FAU coach Lane Kiffin said Cameron was dealing with a personal issue. He didn’t attend Wednesday’s practice.

“Like a lot of these kids, they go through things and camp’s not easy, especially kids that are away from home, that’s our job to mentor them through [issues],” Kiffin said. “They have ups and downs. I’m glad he figured it out.”

Cameron, who is from Mississippi, took to Twitter late Tuesday night to say he made a decision “to not continue my education at Florida Atlantic University.” Kiffin said he hadn’t spoken with Cameron until after the tweet was posted.

“I just think that’s, unfortunately, the generation that we’re in,” Kiffin said. “You put things on Twitter before you even talk to people. Hopefully, that was a learning lesson for him.”

Kiffin met with Cameron early Thursday morning, convincing him to return about halfway through the practice. Cameron was not made available to speak with reporters but did tweet he is committed to the Owls program.

“... I apologize for my for my actions,” Cameron wrote. “I would love to say I’m not leaving. I’m still (an) Owl and going to continue to give my all for my team and coach.”

A junior, Cameron was a three-star recruit at Copiah-Lincoln (Mississippi) Community College and one of the top members of Kiffin’s 2018 class. He joined the team during the Early Signing Period and is expected to compete for playing time. He has mostly been getting reps with the second team.

“I’ve spent a lot of time with him lately,” Kiffin said. “I was actually late getting out to practice because I was in his dorm room early this morning. Fortunately, he decided to come back out about halfway through practice.”

DT Ellis closer to contributing

Senior defensive tackle

Ray Ellis is expected to contribute sooner than expected.

Kiffin said he could be part of the rotation by the start of the season, which is good news considering Ellis is recovering from two major knee surgeries in a span of 13 months.

He has played just one game since 2015.

“I think Ray could play right now, Kiffin said. “I don’t know how long or how many plays he could play. I think he looks really good out there. We’ve limited him some. He’s a really good player we’ve added to our strongest group.”

With Cameron returning to the team, a healthy Ellis could mean a solid six-man rotation on the defensive line.

Owls’ second scrimmage set

The Owls will hold their second scrimmage Saturday at FAU Stadium. Kiffin calls it the most important session because depth chart battles are beginning to shape.

“We really haven’t tackled, but you don’t want to tackle too close to the game and not tackle too far away,” Kiffin said. “We’re right in the middle. It’ll be critical and we would like to have a good direction.”

Kiffin