Lineman Ashley headed to FAMU

Just earlier this week, the FAU coaching staff had noted that there were still position battles underway on the offensive line. But the potential depth of that group took a hit on Tuesday, with news that Calvin Ashley is transferring to FAMU.

“Unless FAMU’s playing Ohio State, it’ll be tough for him to start in the opener,” coach Lane Kiffin said. “He just informed us that he’s transferring to FAMU to be closer to his family so, very surprising for us, disappointing. But I wish him the best of luck.”

The redshirt sophomore was potentially a big addition for the Owls, having transferred from Auburn after spending two years there. He played in five games for the Tigers last season, starting once at right tackle.

According to 247 Sports, Ashley was a five-star prospect in the class of 2017 out of St. John’s College High School in Washington D.C.

Ashley signed with Auburn over many notable programs, including Clemson, Alabama and Miami.

Bryant rejoins team, Cole

out for season: Former early enrollee and junior college transfer Adrian Bryant is officially back with the team, after spending a few weeks with the Owls back in January.

Kiffin said that the wide receiver’s absence had been due to a family issue, but that he will be eligible to play immediately thanks to a granted waiver. But even with the depth of the receivers still unclear, Bryant will have his work cut out for him after having missed virtually all of spring and fall practices.

“That’s tough having not really been here. He was here for one or two weeks and that was it, and that was a long time ago,” Kiffin said. “He’s obviously a long ways behind ’cause he’s basically kind of brand new.”

But Kiffin was quick to point out that that doesn’t mean Bryant won’t be able to catch up, and that he could still work his way into a meaningful position with the team.

“It should really be one of the easier positions, especially in our system. I don’t think we’re very complicated,” he said. “We play right and left, it’s not near what it used to be, so it should be a spot that … [receiver] and corner are really usually the two easiest spots to pick up.”

The addition of a talented receiver comes at an especially good time for the Owls, as they just learned that freshman Eyin Cole will miss the entire season due to an ACL injury he sustained during a one-on-one drill.

“Very discouraging ’cause he probably was, just looking at height, weight, speed, probably our best receiver signee since we’ve been here from that standpoint,” Kiffin said. “Very athletically gifted kid that’s big too and can really run, and his testing numbers were off the charts so that was disappointing.”

Cole, who played in high school at Niceville in the Florida panhandle, was a three-star prospect, according to 247 Sports, in the class of 2019. He signed with FAU over offers from conference rivals Middle Tennessee and Southern Miss.

The depth chart for the wide receivers is still up in the air, and will certainly be affected by the loss of Cole and the addition of Bryant. But the unit is still confident that it’s moving in the right direction as the season approaches.

“We’re just gradually getting better as a whole, coming together, being like a band of brothers,” redshirt sophomore receiver Jordan Merrell said. “Everybody’s just trying to step up and make plays as much as they can, whenever their number is called.”