New reports debunk Ray Lewis' FAU rumors

On Wednesday morning (November 20), a report came out from ESPN insider Adam Schefter that Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis had emerged as a candidate to become the next head coach of the Florida Atlantic Owls. He posted on X:

"Following the Deion Sanders-to-Colorado model, Hall-of-Fame linebacker Ray Lewis has emerged as a candidate to become the next head coach at Florida Atlantic University, sources tell ESPN."

However, shortly after the report about Ray Lewis, National college football reporter Matt Zenitz refuted the link between Lewis and Florida Atlantic. He wrote:

"There has been no direct communication between Lewis and the school at this point and it's highly unlikely that FAU ends up hiring him as head coach, sources tell CBS Sports."

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Would Ray Lewis make sense as a head coach candidate for FAU?

While there are conflicting reports about Ray Lewis' status as a candidate for the FAU coaching position, it is interesting to look at what he could provide the team. There is no denying that Lewis would bring a lot of experience to an FAU team that has struggled recently.

Lewis was drafted in the first round of the 1996 NFL draft and played his 17-year NFL career with the Baltimore Ravens. He won the Super Bowl twice (2001 and 2013) and was the Super Bowl MVP for the first of those championships.

Additionally, Lewis had several impressive individual accolades. He was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year twice (2000 and 2003) and a first-team all-pro seven times. He also led the league in solo and combined tackles three times each.

However, while Lewis had an impressive career as an NFL player, he does not have the coaching resume to back it up. He has not coached at the college for the NFL level in any capacity. As a result, it is unclear how well he would perform as a first-time coach thrust into the head coaching position of a Division I program.

Lewis would certainly have things he could bring to a team to help them improve. However, he would likely need a strong staff of assistant coaches and coordinators to help him as he learned on the job.

While Lewis would be a bold coaching candidate, it could not hurt for FAU. The Owls have not had a winning season since 2019. This season the Owls (2-8) have struggled immensely and sit at the bottom of the ACC.