FAU coach Tom Herman is out before the end of his second season with the program, but for now, recently dismissed defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni is back with the Owls.
It’s not every day a coach who has been fired from a staff gets their job back at all, and it’s even more unprecedented for them to do so in the way Bellantoni did. Bellantoni was fired just over a week ago after FAU’s drubbing at the hands of ECU on Nov. 7. The move was seen by some in the industry as a sacrificial firing by Herman with the situation in Boca Raton going south. However, Herman didn’t last much longer. He was was fired on Monday of a game week, which is a rarity as well.
A source close to Bellantoni told CBS Sports that both players and recruits had expressed concerns over his firing, and when Chad Lunsford was informed he’d be FAU’s interim coach Monday, he advocated for Bellantoni to return.
This is actually Bellantoni’s third stint as a coordinator at FAU. He was on a previous staff from 2014-2016. It’s unclear what shape the search process will take at FAU and if Lunsford will get a real shot at the job permanently, giving Bellantoni the opportunity to work for three different permanent FAU coaches.