Reginald Byarse Jr. can’t blame the recruits he’s courting for not knowing of his school.
He hadn’t heard of it, either, until a few months ago, when he clicked on a job posting for an assistant coach at an upstart college football program in South Florida. Now, the defensive coordinator is doing his best used-car-salesman impersonation to football players everywhere, pitching them on the opportunity to come build the foundation of University of Fort Lauderdale football.
So far, Byarse said conversations with potential players go something like this:
“I introduce myself and the school, ask them if they’ve ever heard of it.”
“No, but I know what Fort Lauderdale is!”
The university has that going for it—its name. Brian Hankerson, the school’s chaplain and CFO, calls it a “godsend.” The University of Fort Lauderdale’s notoriety is principally associated with the popular spring break and tourist destination 15 minutes southeast of the campus in Lauderhill rather than its academics or athletics.
The reality of the university is less glamorous than its namesake.
It’s a private, Christian commuter school with enrollment numbers in the hundreds tucked in a small plaza between a golf course and strip mall. It was founded in 1995 and previously known as Plantation Christian University. The Eagles football program is embarking on its inaugural year in the National Christian College Athletic Association (not to be confused with the NCAA) after years of competing in club football. Its first game is just weeks away, and there’s an open tryout coming up just to fill out the roster à la high school, as just 10 players and no coaches remain from the 2020 season.
But the administration is confident it tapped the right man to pioneer its program. Chris Chambers is a former Miami Dolphins receiver and a man of faith who previously coached high school football in the area. He has a vision for the small school with the big name, one that will take years.
“From an aesthetic standpoint we’re just not there yet; from a campus standpoint we’re just not there yet,” Chambers says. “But if we can get guys to get past that part and just see us for what we are, and who we are, then we’ll be fine.”
