Ray Lewis is unlikely to be hired as Florida Atlantic head coach, sources told CBS Sports and 247Sports in the wake of ESPN's report Wednesday that the Pro Football Hall of Famer had emerged as a candidate for FAU.
There has not been communication between Lewis and the school as of Wednesday morning.
FAU fired second-year coach Tom Herman on Monday after a 6-16 record in just under two seasons in Boca Raton. The 49-year-old Lewis, a stalwart on two Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl teams, played college football at the University of Miami.
Lewis has no coaching experience at the collegiate level. Following his retirement, Lewis worked in media, including a handful of years at ESPN.
ESPN's Adam Schefter noted a possible hiring of Lewis would be following the Deion Sanders model, which saw the fellow Hall of Famer parlay limited coaching experience at the high school level into a wildly successful three seasons at Jackson State, where Sanders was two-time SWAC Coach of the Year, and then the head job at FBS member Colorado. The Buffaloes went 4-8 in 2023 but are 8-2 in Sanders' second season and have pole position for a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game and a possible College Football Playoff berth.
A big part of Sanders' success has been the cache he carries with players, even from the younger generation. Despite unconventional recruiting tactics including limited in-home and school visits, Sanders has been able to win massive recruiting wars, including flipping then-No. 1 overall recruit Travis Hunter from Florida State in December of 2021 to Jackson State. In the 2024 class at Colorado, Sanders lured five-star tackle Jordan Seaton to Boulder from IMG Academy in Florida. Seaton has been one of college football's best freshmen.
Florida Atlantic will owe Herman just north of a $4 million buyout, according to his contract. Herman's firing makes for eight FBS head coaching changes during the 2024 season, all of them on the Group of Five level. There are 11 FBS head coaching jobs open if you include Utah State and Fresno State, both of which have been led by interim coaches throughout the 2024 campaign.
