BREAKING: Flex Joseph and Amari Jones to miss 2023 season

Miami, FL – After the conclusion of Tuesday’s practice, FIU football head coach Mike MacIntyre, told the media that running back Flex Joseph will miss the 2023 season with a torn ACL. To add on, quarterback Amari Jones is also missing the 2023 season due to an Achilles injury.

Injury notes coming out of today’s media availability: RB Lexington Joseph did tear his ACL during the Halsey Park practice. Also, QB Amari Jones has an Achilles injury.

Both are expected to miss the 2023 season. #PawsUp https://t.co/YSLnmDHT6Y

— Eric Henry (@EricCHenry_) April 18, 2023

The loss of Flex is huge. Not only was he the top player on offense in 2022, but he was projected to be the top offensive threat in 2023. In 2022, Joseph rushed for 536 yards and five touchdowns. If Joseph had a healthy offensive line, then you could have seen even better stats.

“The great thing about it is that he has a registered year. The bad thing about it is that I want to play him this year,” said coach MacIntyre following his announcement that he is out for the season. “He is an excellent player, but he is a phenomenal leader for us.”

With the loss of Joseph, the running back room is now down to Shomari Lawrence, Kejon Owens, and Antonio Patterson. Owens saw 26 attempts for 83 yards and one touchdown. Patterson only had 9 attempts for 40 yards and no touchdowns. Finally, Shomari Lawrence is the transfer running back out of South Dakota. Lawrence rushed for 597 yards and three touchdowns.

For Amari, this hurts a lot for him. After impressing in spring with improvement in several parts of his game, there was a chance that he could’ve seen some playing time if needed and probably would’ve seen himself with substantial time in the spring game. Amari Jones, who had offers from Akron, Kansas, UAB, and UMass, decided to go to FIU. Maybe this is a choice that hasn’t gone well for him as he is yet to take a regular-season snap.

FIU is set to play their spring game on Saturday, April 22nd at 6:30 pm EST. Gates open at 5:30 pm for fans. Fans are allowed to take pictures.

Spring Showcase is coming 😎 pic.twitter.com/jGX7CaYDSc

— FIU Athletics (@FIUAthletics) April 18, 2023