Rebuilding #94

Florida Atlantic

American Athletic · 2026 preseason baseline

Projection

39.2

SP+ preseason

−7.1

Returning prod.

45%

Recruiting

53%

2026 portal cycle

Inside a standard deviation of zero.

−0.84z

talent-weighted z-score

applied: −0.17 pts

Top gains

  • 3★ QBDrew Devillier from Rice
  • 3★ EDGEJonathan Bax from TCU
  • 3★ EDGEKenyon Garner from Livingstone

Top losses

  • 3★ QBKasen Weisman
  • 3★ EDGEEric Brantley Jr.
  • 3★ CBLawrence Johnson to Florida International

Portal moves are weighted by recruiting stars, position (QB and skill positions weighted higher), and eligibility. Withdrawn entrants are excluded. The z-score is normalized across teams appearing in the 2026 portal cycle. See the full portal leaderboard →

2025 season · final grade

The 2025 season, graded.

C CeilingC

On the projection.

Realized SP+ −8.7 · SP+ rank #98

Projection

30.6

Realized

37.6

Δ

+7.0

Δ grade

C

Ceiling SECONDARY

C

Projection vs realized

Realized 37.6 Projection 30.6

The yellow tick is Florida Atlantic's August 13, 2025 preseason SP+ rating (−13.6) — the last preseason release before Week 1, from Bill Connelly / ESPN. The dark bar is the final 2025 SP+ (Connelly, post-championship). Both mapped to the 0–100 scale by score = 50 + SP+ × (50/35), clamped [1, 99]. The gap between them is Δ: +7.0. Δ banded A through F gives the letter grade.

What the grade means

A C means Florida Atlantic finished within a narrow band of the projection (Δ +7.0, band −6 to +8). The season the projection described.

Ceiling grade: C · secondary lens · 10% of upside headroom used. Δ divided by the room Florida Atlantic had to move (upside if Δ is positive, downside if negative). Ceiling normalizes for projection height: a projection-90 team has 10 points of upside room, a projection-50 team has 50.

The letter grade always records the same relationship: realized minus projection, banded A through F. A team can sit in the Elite tier and still receive a D. LSU in 2025 is that case.

Read the methodology →

Offense (2025)

27.8

SP+ offensive rating

Defense (2025)

38.1

SP+ defensive rating (lower = better)

Nat'l SP+ rank

#98

Final 2025 SP+ ranking

2025 portal cycle (context)

Net positive on talent-weighted flow.

+1.45z

talent-weighted z-score

Top gains

  • 4★ CBDamarius McGhee from Kansas
  • 3★ QBCaden Veltkamp from Western Kentucky
  • 3★ QBZach Gibson from Georgia State

Top losses

  • 3★ QBCam Fancher to UCF
  • 3★ EDGEChisom Ifeanyi to Wyoming
  • 3★ EDGERichard Thomas

Portal moves are weighted by recruiting stars, position (QB and skill positions weighted higher), and eligibility. Withdrawn entrants are excluded. The z-score is normalized across teams appearing in the 2025 portal cycle (context).

Returning production (2025): 21% of prior-year PPA back on the field (Bill Connelly's percentPPA metric via CFBD). This is a narrative reference — the 2025 grade itself is Δ vs preseason SP+ only.