FIU Football Spring Showcase 2023 Game Preview

After many weeks of practice under the hot sun, the FIU football team is set to head back into the Cage for their annual Spring Showcase Game on April 22nd at 6:30 pm EST.

Have you claimed your FREE ticket for the @FIUFootball 𝙎𝙋𝙍𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙎𝙃𝙊𝙒𝘾𝘼𝙎𝙀 yet?

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— FIU Athletics (@FIUAthletics) April 11, 2023

Unfortunate News

After the conclusion of Tuesday’s practice, FIU 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.

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

With the loss of Joseph, the running back room is now down to Shomari Lawrence, Kejon Owens, and Antonio Patterson. Owens was able to record 26 attempts for 83 yards and one touchdown in 2022. Patterson only had nine rushes 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.

BREAKING: Flex Joseph and Amari Jones to miss 2023 season#FIU #PawsUp @LemonCityLive @PawsUpPodcast https://t.co/kgXhTLXV7N

— Kevin Barral (@kevin_barral) April 19, 2023

Quarterback Play

One of the storylines will be how the quarterbacks perform, who gets how much playing time, and how comfortable they look around the offense. Grayson James so far is the clear choice to be the starter for FIU Football’s opening game vs Louisiana Tech on August 26th, as he has looked the most comfortable and it is obvious that players rally behind him.

Most fans are excited to watch Keyone Jenkins suit up for the first time in blue and gold. Jenkins has looked good so far, but nothing to make the jump over Grayson or Haden Carlson. Expect James to start for one team and Carlson to start for the other team.

Which Receiver will Show out?

Another storyline entering this spring is who will take over as the primary wide receiver on the team. With Tyrese Chambers no longer on the Panthers, the room is led more by experience than talent, although the talent is impressive.

Kris Mitchell will be the main watch on Saturday, as he is the top candidate to take over as the wide receiver. The only concern with Mitchell is health. If he can continue to impress in camp, Mitchell will be given the WR1 job.

If Mitchell doesn’t play up to the expectation of the main receiver, then we can see what FIU did before bringing in Chambers, which is to spread the ball out to all receivers.

For More Info, Check out the Latest Episode of the Paws Up Podcast:

Paws Up Podcast – Episode 17 Feat. Adrian Valdivia https://t.co/5SzQnUCIzQ

— Paws Up Podcast (@PawsUpPodcast) April 18, 2023

Names to keep an eye out for:

Wide receiver – Ross Fournet

Linebacker – Avery Huff

Defensive Linemen – Jack Daly

Cornerback – Jamari Holliman

What you Need to Know

Location: FIU Football Stadium (11310 SW 17th St, Miami, FL 33199)

Time of game: 6:30 pm EST

Time gates open: 5:30 pm EST

Fans will be allowed to take pictures at the game and of the Spring Showcase game.