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FIU Football Signings and 2027 Commitments

Ricardo Urrusuno July 21, 2026 8 min read
FIU Football Signings Commitments

FIU Athletics

FIU Football has been adding to its roster with offseason signings and 2027 commitments. They are looking to improve their 7-6 record from this past season. Here are some of the players that head coach Willie Simmons and his staff have brought on board for the Panthers.

Offseason Signings

Zach Marker – Delaware

Marker is a 6’2 205-pound quarterback from Norwalk, Iowa. He is looking to rebound after suffering a season-ending injury in last year’s season opener. In 2024, he started in three of four games, completing 74/134 passes (.522) for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns. Marker made three starts in five games in 2023, finishing 17/28 for 239 yards and two touchdowns.

Zach Marker previously played at Iowa Central, where he made 10 appearances in 2022, completing 110/178 passes for 1,342 yards and 23 touchdowns. In 2021, he went 6/11 for 197 yards and three touchdowns in six games. Marker went 5/15 for 58 yards in four games in 2020. As a senior at Norwalk High School, he passed for 1,800 yards and 23 touchdowns while rushing for 1,104 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Deejay Holmes Jr. – Pahokee

Holmes Jr. is a 6’0 250-pound defensive end from Pahokee, Florida. He spent the past three seasons at Ole Miss, playing nine games and recording six tackles and a QB hurry. Coming out of high school, he was a three-star prospect by all recruiting outlets. Holmes Jr. is a two-time South Florida Sun Sentinel Defensive Player of the Year. He also lettered in baseball and track and field.

Deejay Holmes Jr. has a two-year varsity career total of 209 tackles (72 solo), 52 sacks, 53 tackles for a loss, 86 quarterback hurries, seven forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries, two interceptions, and an interception return TD. He broke the school record for sacks in a season as a senior with 32.5, averaging three per game.

Nickolas Molina – Bryant

Molina is a 6’7 312-pound offensive lineman from the Bronx. As a senior last fall, he appeared in 10 games, helping the Bryant Bulldogs average 325 yards of offense per game. As a junior, Molina played in all 12 games.

In 2023, he played five games and was part of an offensive line that helped Bryant average 31.2 PPG and 383.9 yards per game. Nickolas Molina played in one game his freshman season. He attended Cardinal Hayes High School prior to his undergrad studies.

Elisha Baldridge – Ashland

Baldridge is a 6’2 233-pound defensive end from Big Prairie, Ohio. He played in 13 games last year as a junior, totaling 90 tackles (35 solo, 55 assists), 16 tackles for a loss, 13.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. Baldridge posted eight tackles (two solo), a half-sack, and 1.5 tackles for a loss as a senior. His freshman season was redshirted.

Elisha Baldridge placed third at the Ohio State Wrestling meet as a senior at West Holmes High School. The two-time All-Ohio football player made 289 tackles, breaking the school record for most tackles in a season and setting the record for most tackles in a game with 34 as a senior.

Felix Visser – Shenton

Visser is a 6’2 214-pound punter from Perth, Australia. He played at Shenton College and has previously competed for the Swanbourne Junior Football Club, East Fremantle Football Club, and Mosman Park Football Club. Felix Visser was the Swanbourne team captain for three years and was named Player of the Future at Mosman Park.

2027 Commitments

Zachary Katz – True North

Katz is a 6’1 195-pound quarterback from Miami. He’s coming off a season of 178/269 completions for 2,448 yards and 25 touchdowns. In 2024, Katz made 194/272 attempts for 2,412 yards and 23 touchdowns. In 2023, he went 188/229, leading all freshmen statewide with 2,973 yards and 38 touchdowns. As an eighth grader on varsity in 2022, Katz was 192/254 for 2,847 yards and 34 touchdowns.

He has been named to the First Team All-Dade from 2023 to 2025. Zachary Katz has also made First Team All-State. His 2,973 passing yards in 2023 were the most amongst freshmen. Katz was a 2022 Second Team All-Dade and All-State honorable mention. He participated in the 2023 8th Grade UA All-American game and was a 2022 USNFT International Cup Champion.

Martez Jones – Newton

Jones is a 6’0 180-pound safety from Covington, Georgia. He combined for 74 tackles (57 solo, 17 assisted), with four of them being for a loss last year as a junior. In nine games, Martez Jones had four pass deflections, two interceptions, one sack, and a fumble recovery.

Tacori Allen – Columbia

Allen is a 5’10 175-pound cornerback from Lake City, Florida. He had 35 total tackles, three for a loss, a sack, and two interceptions for 145 yards. Tacori Allen made seven kickoff returns for 188 yards and 48 punt returns for 429 yards. He played his first two years of high school at Fleming Island. In 12 games, he made four receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown. Allen is also a track and field athlete.

Jaylen Thanis – Carol City

Thanis is a 6’2 270-pound defensive lineman from Miami. He previously played for Northwestern High School, where he totaled 59 tackles (20 assisted), 20 tackles for a loss, seven sacks, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and a touchdown last year. The prior season, Thanis made seven tackles (five solo, two assisted) and a sack.

https://twitter.com/JaylenThanis98/status/2049276986590183781?s=20

Jarvaris Reed Jr. – Jackson

Reed Jr. is a 5’9, 170-pound wide receiver from Atlanta. He made 36 receptions for 627 yards and five touchdowns last year as a junior. On special teams, Jarvaris Reed Jr. made 10 kickoff returns for 263 yards, including a 96-yard return, and eight punt returns for 127 yards.

Dorien Irving-Jones – Venice

Irving-Jones is a 5’11 185-pound running back from Venice, Florida. As a sophomore in 2024, he played in 15 games, totaling 192 rushes for 1,398 yards and 17 touchdowns. Four of his rushes went for at least 100 yards. As a receiver, Irving-Jones made 6 receptions for 108 yards and a touchdown. In 2024, Dorien Irving-Jones made 51 carries for 190 yards and four touchdowns in nine games.

Adarian Dotson – Astronaut

Dotson is a 6’3 283-pound offensive lineman from Mims, Florida. As a junior last fall, he made six solo and eight assisted tackles for a total of 14. Three tackles were for a loss, and he contributed with 13 quarterback hurries. Adarian Dotson did a 40-yard dash of 5.1, a shuttle of 4.78, a vertical jump of 24, a bench press of 320, and a squat of 430.

https://twitter.com/Adarian77/status/2065987778207257013?s=20

Drew Easter – Southeast Alamance

Easter is a 6’4 225-pound tight end from Graham, North Carolina. In 2025, he made 32 catches for 345 yards and five touchdowns. He also scored on a rushing touchdown. During his sophomore season, Easter made 18 receptions for 190 yards and four touchdowns. As a freshman, he caught 22 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns. Drew Easter previously played basketball as a forward.

Justus Payne – Escambia

Payne is a 6’3 310-pound defensive tackle from Pensacola. He played in nine games last fall, getting seven tackles for a loss, 16 solo tackles and 12 assisted tackles for a combined total of 28. He had 2.5 sacks for a loss of 13 yards. Justus Payne appeared in 12 games in 2024, recording seven tackles for a loss, 41 solo tackles, and 15 assisted tackles for a total of 56. Payne had 2.5 sacks, totaling a loss of 38 yards.

Jayden Dean – St. Thomas

Dean is a 6’3 277-pound offensive lineman from Fort Lauderdale. He’s ranked #125 overall in the state and #106 nationwide st his position, according to Rivals.

Cole Holland – Plainview

Holland is a 6’5 300-pound offensive lineman from Rainsville, Alabama. Some of his individual awards include 1st Team All-Region, 1st Team All-State, 1st Team All-Country, and 4A Lineman of the Year finalist.

Robert Gibbons – Lennard

Gibbons is a 5’10 170-pound cornerback from Riverview. He is a two-way player, having finished with 39 tackles, six pass breakups, two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and a forced fumble. Gibbons had five carries for 119 yards and a touchdown. He also had eight punt returns for 348 yards.

Robert Gibbons is a multi-sport athlete, having qualified for the state meet in the 400-meter hurdles as a junior. His top marks in track and field include a 11.3 in the 100, 15.38 in the 110h, 51.84 in the 400, 55.41 in the 400h, 19-9 in the LJ, and 43-5 in the TJ.

Tobias Johnson – Escambia

Johnson is a 6’4 240-pound defensive end from Pensacola. He finished last season with 42 tackles, seven for a loss, and 1.5 sacks as a junior. Tobias Johnson is a three-sport athlete, playing power forward and center in basketball and outfield in baseball.

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About Post Author

Ricardo Urrusuno

He’s a diehard 305 native who roots for his hometown teams in the good, the bad, and the ugly. Recently, he graduated from FIU with an MBA, but now he’s a Lemonhead covering UM basketball. Known to be anywhere and everywhere, you may catch him at a Miami sporting event.

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