BOCA RATON — As the days counted down to the inaugural Early Signing Day this past December, Orlando-Jones offensive lineman/defensive end Devin Hayes had multiple opportunities to make his dreams of playing for a Power 5 program reality.
But while playing against historic programs in elite conferences sounded promising, the chance to play under Lane Kiffin at Florida Atlantic was too much to pass up.
“(Kiffin) came from (top programs) like USC and Alabama, and then he comes to FAU and he changed the culture,” Hayes said. “FAU wasn’t winning like that. They would win three games every year and he changed the culture.