Former junior college offensive linemen began his career at Ohio

BOCA RATON — Florida Atlantic’s struggling offensive line received a boost in the form of Colorado State’s Desmond Noel, who joined the Owls on Tuesday.

Noel, a 6-foot-4, 310-pound lineman from Cincinnati, spent the last two seasons at Fort Scott C.C. He is listed as a redshirt junior and is eligible to play this season, a team spokesperson said.

Noel is a guard who can also play center. 247 Sports listed Noel as the No. 13 JUCO guard prospect in last year's signing class.

The 12th-best prospect, Lavante Epson, signed with FAU in January but left the program in June.

FAU head coach Lane Kiffin said the team prefers Noel at left guard. Kiffin criticized starting left guard BJ Etienne on a conference call Sunday.

Kiffin said he expects Noel to contribute this season.

"We definitely are headed that direction with the lack of depth issues there," Kiffin said. "He has two years so we wouldn’t bring him here just to sit. We’re trying everything to get him up to pace."

Noel's arrival comes after Kiffin criticized his offensive line following last Saturday's 48-14 loss to Central Florida.

FAU offered Noel a scholarship last year. He reportedly had FAU as one of his top options but chose Colorado State.

Noel began his college career at Ohio. He was one of three Bobcats arrested after a December 2016 incident when they allegedly broke into a student's apartment.

The players wielded weapons and wore masks, broke into an apartment and stole $5,000 from another student, according to The Athens News.

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