FIU Football Spring Practice – Overall Thoughts on the Panthers

Miami, FL – Now that we are a couple of weeks into the FIU football spring practice, I think it is a good time to make some initial assessments of the team.

Many storylines include the quarterback competition, who will be the primary wide receiver, and what will the offensive line for FIU look like. Although the vibes have been high and there is a lot of confidence throughout the whole football program, there is still a lot of work to do.

The Returning Quarterbacks

As mentioned in my previous articles, the quarterback position might be the one that is most up for grabs. With Grayson James being the starter for the majority of last season, he has the edge over the rest of the room and at the moment it is his job to lose.

James in 2022 threw for 1,967 yards and 11 touchdowns, but also recorded 11 interceptions. A lot of his success came in thanks to tight end Rivaldo Fairweather and wide receiver Tyrese Chambers, who were his main targets. Without a healthy offensive line and injuries all around the team, however, James struggled at times.

Thus far this Spring, James has looked good and really been a lot more accurate than before. With a receiving and tight end room that doesn’t include his top targets anymore, James now has the chance to spread the ball out more to a group of receivers who all have different attributes.

Grayson James and the rest of the quarterback room getting some work in. #FIU #PawsUp pic.twitter.com/zErccx1tWU

— Kevin Barral (@kevin_barral) April 8, 2023

In the case of 2022 backup Hayden Carlson, he really impressed and showed that he can be the team’s starter in the final game of 2022 against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, as he threw for 414 yards and four touchdowns.

Something that has always stood out about Carlson is his ability to extend plays and do it by just keeping the ball and running himself. This is also the one thing that has stood out thus far in the spring.

We saw this mainly occur in the practice held at Charles Hadley Park located in Liberty City. Carlson has also targeted his tight ends a lot, mainly Josiah Miamen who had a big final game of the season- which is when we also saw the two tight end formation with Fairweather and Miamen.

The QB Newcomers

Finally, we have the long shots to get the starting quarterback job, but shouldn’t be forgotten. Amari Jones, who did not play in 2022, has seen a lot of action so far this spring and has been solid, but has had his tough moments just like the others.

Then there is Keyone Jenkins. Jenkins at the start of the spring looked a bit uncomfortable in the offense, as he wasn’t as accurate as we thought or what we had heard he could be.

Keyone Jenkins doing the same drill. #FIU #PawsUp pic.twitter.com/fTxHCDwogL

— Kevin Barral (@kevin_barral) April 8, 2023

In these last couple of practices, we have seen Keyone’s confidence grow, and you can see him hit in more with the David Yost offense. Making extremely accurate passes and taking it in for himself are some of the main parts that have stood out about Jenkins, along with the red zone drills they did as he took it in for himself most of the time, but also made some very nice passes.

The Receiving Core

Outside of Kris Mitchell who is the veteran of the room, one player who has stood out a lot is Ross Fournet. Last season, Fournet played in 12 games but didn’t see many balls coming his way as he only had no receptions for 55 yards and zero touchdowns.

With Tyresse gone, Fournet can find himself as a slot guy who will get a lot more playing time. In the Saturday practice, Fournete took one to the house after a nice Haden Carlson pass.

Then, we have Kris Mitchell. Last season, Mitchell only played in nine games due to injury and also didn’t see much action when he was on the field. As he is now the most experienced receiver in the room.

He has taken a big leadership role within the room and he told the media after the first day of practice that he wants to leave a good impression on the younger guys and know that if he steps up and plays well, then the rest of the guys will do the same.

Tight Ends

This has been the room that worried me just a bit. Aside from Miamen who will most likely wind up being the starter, I haven’t been too impressed with the rest of the guys. This unimpressive opinion can also be because of how used we were watching Rivaldo Fairweather be the main guy and it is impossible to replicate the production that he brought and the stature that he has.

Defense

There are two ways we can look at how the defense has looked. First, we can say it has looked really good as many guys are clicking on all cylinders and the communication has been great. Then, you can say that they have looked really good because the offense is disappointing at times.

I would like to think @FIUFootball team and coaches, for coming out to Hadley Park today scrimmaging for the first time ever at the Luther Campbell field. pic.twitter.com/tJUcl1PFGI

— Luther Luke Campbell (@unclelukereal1) April 8, 2023