FIU Football 2024 Analysis – The Special Teams

MIAMI, FL – With football approaching for the FIU Panthers, anticipation for the upcoming season requires a deep dive into all aspects of the team, ensuring the best view of what 2024 could look like for the 305.

As we wrap up the defense, there’s only one more part of football we have to go over. Today we look at the special teams and will cover all the aspects of it in the process. This includes punting, kicking, punt returning, and kick returning.

Let’s get to it.

KICKERS MATTER TOO!

Sometimes the offense can’t come up on third down, or sometimes you have to test your luck before the end of the first half, or three points are all you need to win.

That’s when you need to have a reliable kicker. For FIU, they’ll most likely be looking, once again, to their senior leg in from Brunswick, Georgia.

A member of Athlon’s 2024 All-CUSA Preseason Third Team, Chase Gabriel has started in just about every game as kicker for the Panthers since 2021.

Last season, he achieved 21 PATs, went 9/12 on field goals, and sank a 50-yard bomb against Jacksonville State. His longest field goal as a Panther was in 2021 when he connected from 53 yards out.

The Panthers also have a few relievers who will vie for playing time, including Matthew Enriquez, a redshirt junior from Coral Gables, and Alejandro Prado – a senior who transferred from St. Thomas University this offseason.

Still, Gabriel brings experience as well as familiarity to the role, and he’s been more reliable than not. It would be shocking not to see him as the starter against Indiana.

When Things Don’t Go Right…

In the best-case scenario, it’s a position you hopefully don’t have to worry about. However, teams still need a reliable punter who can pin opposing offenses deep into their territory.

For FIU, they have a similar situation to the kicking department where they have an experienced player to count on.

That would be Daton Montiel, the senior from Pompano Beach who transferred to FIU in 2021 after spending time with the Marshall Thundering Herd.

After being FIU’s primary kicker in 2023, Montiel finds himself on Athlon’s 2024 All-CUSA Preseason Second Team and Phil Steele’s 2024 All-CUSA Preseason Third Team.

Montiel booted the ball 72 times last season amassing 2,820 yards and recording 41 fair catches, three touchbacks, 10 punts that landed inside the 20-yard line, and nine punts that traveled over 50+ yards, with 58 being the longest. He also never had a kick blocked in 2023.

It Takes A Team To Tango

On every team, someone has to accurately snap the ball to both the kicker and punter to make sure they get it on time before the defense comes rolling in.

The role of long snapper will more than likely fall back to the hands of Jackson Lee, a junior from Arizona who is on Phil Steele’s 2024 All-CUSA Preseason Second Team. He has played in every single game dating back to 2022.

So we know who’s likely snapping, kicking, and punting. But who’s holding the ball, setting it up for the kicker?

Funnily enough, that’ll also likely fall to Montiel. He was the primary holder in 2023, so there’s no reason to assume he won’t reprise his role.

Are You A Fan Of House Calls?

Everything mentioned above is only half the battle of special teams. The other half involves what happens when you receive the ball, setting up your offense for their drive.

That job likely belongs to Dean Patterson, who I talked about back in the receivers article. He’s already suspected to be WR1, but the redshirt junior has also generated hype about his returning ability.

Playing in all 12 games as a punt returner last season, Patterson totaled 132 yards, averaging just about 10.2 yards per carry – the most in Conference USA.

Overall, the special teams group will look very similar to 2023, if not the same, but with a bit more experience under their belt.