BOCA RATON, Fla. — A year ago at this time, Lane Kiffin and FAU were riding high. The Owls were coming off an 11-win campaign in Kiffin’s debut season, with a bunch of star players returning. FAU received preseason top-25 votes before the 2018 season.



Fast forward to April 2019, and things are different. The Owls went 5-7 in 2018, capped by a home loss to Charlotte to miss out on a bowl game. Star players, including running back Devin Singletary, are gone. Kiffin reshaped his coaching staff, and starting quarterback Chris Robison was suspended indefinitely early this spring for undisclosed reasons.



For the first time in a long time, not a lot of people are talking about Kiffin.



Kiffin knows the burden of expectations. After going 10-2 in his second season at USC, the Trojans began 2012 ranked No. 1. They finished 7-6, and Kiffin didn’t make it through 2013. That experience has shaped his mindset at FAU.



He still tweets a lot, and...