Zach Kittley is getting ready for the first head coaching job of his career with the FAU Owls. As a result, he is emphasizing a standard that demands full accountability on himself, his coaching staff and players.
Kittley became the Owls’ head coach in December 2024, leaving the Texas Tech Red Raiders after three seasons. He was their offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, propelling the program to three consecutive winning campaigns with a dynamic attack.
Kittley held his first press conference in front of reporters after FAU’s first fall practice session. He went over his thoughts on the team’s growth throughout the summer as they prepare for the season opener against Maryland. He also revealed his goals and standards going into the 2025 season, making sure that his squad doesn’t make any excuses throughout the entire year.
“We’ve got to start regularly getting back to bowl games. To me, there’s no excuse not to have that on a yearly basis. And if you can build on some stuff like that, you gotta start competing for the conference championship,” Kittley said in the press conference video FAU Owls Nest uploaded to YouTube.
What Lies Ahead For Zach Kittley, FAU
GettyLaJohntay Wester #1 of the Florida Atlantic Owls celebrates a touchdown with his team during the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium on September 24, 2022 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Zach Kittley’s arrival to Boca Raton comes at an important time for the FAU Owls.
Since Lane Kiffin’s departure in 2019 for the Ole Miss, FAU struggled to have a consistent winning culture. The Owls had Willie Taggart and Tom Herman lead the program from 2020 to 2024, with one winning season to show.
2020 was the last time FAU secured bowl eligibility, suffering four consecutive losing seasons since. They fired Taggart in 2022 and replaced him with Herman with the hopes that they can return to contention as a respected squad.
However, their hopes didn’t pan out and it wasn’t close. 2023 ended with a 4-8 record, firing Herman with two games remaining in 2024. They finished with a 3-9 record, understanding that they needed a new direction.
Enter Kittley. The coach had the special privilege of coaching Patrick Mahomes when he was Texas Tech’s graduate assistant, understanding the importance of elevating quarterbacks to a high level of play.
This allowed him to develop Bailey Zappe at Houston Baptist and Western Kentucky, with the latter seeing the quarterback peak in college. The Hilltoppers became the second-best offense in 2021 as Zappe set historic records in passing yards and touchdowns.
Kittley’s experiences at previous coaching stops will have navigate an Owls squad that struggled on offense in recent years. He does have Caden Veltkamp to assist him on that front, who transferred to FAU this offseason. Veltkamp propelled himself to the next level after winning CUSA Offensive Player of the Year with the Hilltoppers last year.
FAU has a lot to look forward to as Kittley has the objective of implementing a winning culture. On top of that, he wants no excuses from anyone in any case, placing the Owls in a spot that will demand full accountability, which can result in a squad that opponents will respect moving forward.
FAU Football HC Zach Kittley Reveals ‘No Excuses’ Standard For Owls