This fall, the AAC will look different. Powers Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF are all off to the Big 12. Meanwhile, they purged C-USA for six new teams. Here’s what you need to know about the six programs before toe hits leather in the fall.
Charlotte
The 49ers had a tough eight years in the C-USA, finishing above .500 only once. New coach Biff Poggi, from Michigan, and his new staff hope to rejuvenate the 49ers and lead them to become a solid team.
Shadrick Byrd hopes to bring a rushing attack to the 49ers for a seemingly disappointing team in Poggi’s first year. Luckily for Charlotte, depth, and talent will come from the transfer portal. Players like Eyabi Okie from Michigan will hopefully bring consistency to the 49ers.
For Poggi and his staff, recruiting will be an uphill battle, as the 49ers finished 134th in the 2023 class. Despite this, Charlotte currently holds the seventy-third class in 2024, bringing a new wave of talent to a team in need.
Charlotte will almost certainly finish under .500 this year, but the improvements will show as the new staff and new transfers look to bring consistency to the North Carolina team as they join the American.
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FAU
Tom Herman is back in the college game, taking over for Willie Taggart in the wake of a 5-7 season for the Owls, capping the end of a tumultuous three-year tenure for the former Florida State and Oregon head coach.
The Owls exploded onto the college scene as their basketball team made the final four in April, putting the Boynton Beach college on the front page. Herman brings experience from his Texas and Houston days and can hopefully instill consistency in the program and bring the FAU back to a bowl game.
FAU has struggled to find consistency at the QB position, but luckily they gain the experience of former Texas and Nebraska QB Casey Thompson. Alongside him, Larry McCammon returns after amassing over 1,000 yards on the ground in 2022 for the Owls. WR Lajohntay Wester also returns for the Owls, creating a solid trio capable of putting points on the board this fall.
The Owls’ recruiting has been trending upwards recently as FAU pulled the 81st-best class in 2023 and held the 69th-best class in 2024, led by edge Gavench Marcelin. Despite the 2024 class being incomplete, the upward trend brings hope to FAU as they make this conference change.
After a disappointing year from the Owls, the new additions and staff hope to rejuvenate this roster and bring them back to a bowl game. This task is not easy as the Owls have to play Clemson, Illinois, and Tulane this upcoming season. The mix of recruiting, a new staff, and impactful transfers means that it is more than likely that FAU will be competitive in the league for years to come.
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North Texas
The Mean Green are an interesting team with an even more interesting head coach. Seth Littrell surprisingly got the axe after a solid seven-year run in Denton with six bowl appearances, but also six bowl losses. His replacement is the thirty-seven-year-old Eric Morris.
A former Mike Leach wide receiver, Morris runs the air raid like his old coach, and his offenses are great. He took FCS Incarnate Word to two playoffs in four seasons before jumping to Washington State last year as their offensive coordinator. One year later, he’s back in his home state and ready to take North Texas to the next level.
Twenty-nine-year-old quarterback Austin Aune is out of eligibility, and talented pass catchers Var’keyes Gumms and Jyaire Shorter transferred into the SEC. ULM transfer Chandler Rogers will look to replace Aune and is blessed with an offensive line that returns four starters and allowed the fifth-fewest sacks in the country last year. Overall, the roster is very solid for North Texas
North Texas’ 2024 recruiting class isn’t great. Sitting at the ninety-sixth class in the country and tenth in the AAC is a step down from the seventh-best class in 2020, especially playing in a more prestigious conference. Morris may need time, but that isn’t a great look.
Playing in Texas and being a consistently good program will bode well for the Mean Green in the AAC. Year one will be an adjustment, but if Morris becomes a good coach, North Texas can become a power in the conference.
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Rice
Following the most successful season under coach Mike Bloomgren, appearing in the LendingTree Bowl, Rice is moving up to the AAC. Sure at 5-7, the Owls only made a bowl because of their elite academics but it’s the most successful season since 2015. Can they carry that success over to a more difficult conference? Let’s see.
Picking up JT Daniels from the transfer portal is a huge get. It’s hard to find a quarterback with more experience than him. He’s seen it all from playing in three different Power Five conferences and winning the 2021 title. Rice’s skill positions are solid, led by former Cornhusker Luke McCaffery but losing receiver Brad Rozner late to the portal is a big blow. The offensive line could also improve in 2023
Meanwhile, the defense is the weaker unit. They had some good showings but also let teams score forty or more points five times. The linebackers are very good, led by Josh Pearcy but the rest of the defense needs work.
It’s hard to recruit at Rice due to the academic restrictions of the school. Many talented players are ineligible simply because of their GPA. Their 101st-ranked class is par for the course and is only better than Navy within the AAC.
The AAC invited Rice to keep the Houston market which was lost when the University of Houston jumped ship. The Owls need to turn it up to keep fans interested from other Houston and Texas colleges. Rice does have momentum, now can they carry it into the American? Time will tell.
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UAB
After legendary coach Bill Clark retired before the 2022 season, UAB scrambled to find a replacement and finished with their worst season since bringing the program back in 2017. Trent Dilfer is now tasked at leading the Blazers as they enter a new era.
The Super Bowl-winning quarterback may not have coaching experience past high school, but he knows how to evaluate a quarterback as the coach of Elite 11. In addition, he has spent the last four seasons head coaching Tennessee’s Lipscomb Academy, winning two state titles in the process.
Despite losing 1,700-yard rush DeWayne Mcbride, the Blazers will still run the ball well with Jermaine Brown Jr. in the backfield. He finished with over 900 yards as the backup, and the job is his now. He’ll be tasked to overcome a less-than-stellar passing game and a young offensive line. The defense only allowed thirty points two times and has great size up front led by 6’6″, 340 lb. Tyrique Howard.
Dilfer has flashed his quarterback knowledge on the recruiting trail. The class overall isn’t great, currently ninety-ninth in the country and eleventh in the AAC but there are some pieces. Most notably quarterback Adrian Posse. He was once committed to Auburn and has impressive offers such as Georgia, LSU, and Ohio State.
Quarterback is the most important position and if Dilfer can consistently land good QBs, talented recruits at other positions will follow. It’s an unorthodox approach for UAB, but if it works, it can work wonders. UAB is the biggest wild card in the AAC and we have no clue if they will continue their success.
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UTSA
Since his hiring in 2020, Jeff Traylor has led the Road Runners to three straight bowl appearances and a 30-10 record while only losing three games against conference opponents. So despite going 0-3 in bowl games, the fact that he was able to get the program there in the first place is a testament to his abilities as a coach.
UTSA has star QB Frank Harris back at the helm, looking to lead the Road Runners back to a bowl game. However, the loss of Zakhari Franklin via the portal hurts them, and the rest of the WR corps is largely unproven.
On the recruiting side of the ball, UTSA pulled in the 59th-best class in the country, which should provide depth and youth to the roster this season. The 2024 class is far from similar as the Road Runners stand at 95th in the nation, but they do have talented four-star safety Kenyan Kelly. The 2024 class is thankfully not finished and all that matters is the rankings on signing day
Traylor and company will be solid in their first few years in the American conference, but recruiting and the loss of veterans in the near future will show just how good the Roadrunners are. They’re our picks as the best new AAC team.
