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Tom Herman bolsters first FAU signing class with Power Five targets

The FAU football program announced three new members on national signing day.

For new head coach Tom Herman, this concludes his first recruiting cycle with the Owls.

They join the full class of 16 signees from December during the early signing period and the midyear transfers in May.

The February signing day marks the final day that high school recruits are able to sign their national letters of intent.

Tom Herman talks to reporters Friday at FAU after being introduced as the Owls' new head football coach.
Tom Herman talks to reporters Friday at FAU after being introduced as the Owls' new head football coach.

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Here are the three signees:

Chris Saint-Jean

At Evans High School in Orlando, Saint-Jean was rated the nation’s 78th-best offensive tackle by 247sports. He's one of the highest-rated high school prospects to ever sign with the Owls.

Weighing 310 pounds and standing at 6 feet, 7 inches, Saint-Jean is a huge get for Herman as the tackle chose FAU over such top schools as West Virginia, Penn State, Colorado, Indiana and Purdue.

He had been committed to West Virginia and, according to 247sports’ Andrew Ivins, the aforementioned Penn State and new Colorado head coach Deion Sanders were in contact.

He earned first-team All-Metro West honors and was listed as a first-team All-Elite 100 Prospects honoree. Saint-Jean participated in FAU’s 2022 summer camp and has sealed the deal in adding to their offensive line.

Ja'Corey Hammett

Before the announcement of his transfer to FAU, the Miami-native linebacker has been through a couple of stops.

Hammett signed with West Virginia coming out of Miami Northwestern High School and had other offers from Miami, Arkansas, Florida State, Kentucky, Tennessee and other top schools.

He was redshirted his freshman year in 2021 and then transferred to Garden City Community College in Kansas. He played in 10 games where he recorded 46 tackles, 13 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks.

A successful high school player, he was a three-star prospect per ESPN, 247sports and Rivals. He helped Miami Northwestern to its third consecutive state championship in 2019. During his junior season, he recorded 63 tackles and 11 sacks. According to FAU’s website page on Hammett, he is the cousin of current Dolphins backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

For FAU defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni, he’s getting a versatile player who has the ability to play linebacker and possibly defensive end as he did in high school.

Jarron Morris

Herman said in December that the team needs a couple of pieces in the transfer portal for “immediate use,” and Morris seems like an addition that fits the bill.

The graduate student cornerback has played for the Texas State Bobcats since 2018 and has seen a good amount of success.

During his junior season in 2020, he was on the All-Sun Belt second team and on the Phil Steele All-Sun Belt second team. Morris played in 12 games (11 starts), where he had five interceptions and led the team with 69 total tackles.

He was redshirted in 2021 and played last year as a redshirt junior according to FAU and Texas State’s website. The Texas native started all 12 games for the Bobcats, recording 65 tackles, with 4.5 tackles for loss, one interception and two fumbles recovered.

Herman looks to make an impact in his first year with FAU as they head into their inaugural season in the AAC. There hasn’t been a conference schedule released yet, but the Owls' first game is listed against Monmouth on Saturday, Sept. 2.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Tom Herman bolsters first FAU signing class with Power Five targets