FIU coach Mario Cristobal, speaking publicly for the first time since talks with Rutgers broke off on Monday, welcomed 29 recruits on Wednesday and also addressed his future.

Asked if he would listen if a team were to consider him for a head-coaching job — as has happened with Pitt and Rutgers in the past two months — Cristobal was brief.

“I can’t predict what will happen,” Cristobal said. “But I don’t focus on anything except what happens right here at FIU.”

What’s happening at FIU is that the Golden Panthers have put together the largest recruiting class in their history. Cristobal, like most coaches, also said it’s the best class he has had.

Cristobal cited ESPN and Rivals.com as calling this class No. 1 in the Sun Belt Conference.

Taking notice

“All those rankings mean nothing,” Cristobal said, “but it signifies that the rest of the country is taking notice.”

Cristobal signed at least one player at every position, including first-team All-State kicker/punter Chris Ayers from South Broward.

There are several players who could play on either side of the ball, but the best guess of where they will be tried first leaves the Panthers with 15 recruits on defense and 13 on offense.

FIU’s highest-rated player — according to Rivals.com — is defensive lineman Darrian Dyson.

He is one of six defensive lineman in the class.

The other positions where FIU loaded up in terms of sheer numbers were linebacker and wide receiver.

At linebacker, the most touted players were Leroy Owens, who was once a Syracuse commit; Josh Glanton, who was also considering Syracuse; Jamie Willis; and Denzel Conyers, who might have had more offers if not for a knee injury that forced him to miss his senior season.

Receiver was a big point of emphasis for the Panthers, who have to replace one of the top playmakers in school history, T.Y. Hilton. FIU landed six receivers, including DeAndre Jasper of Jackson, Johnnie Durante of Krop and Nick England from Georgia.

Cristobal saved some of his most effusive praise for Jasper, calling him “explosive,” “dynamic” and “thick.”

At quarterback, where the Panthers graduated starter Wes Carroll, Cristobal added two recruits to the mix, including former Northwestern star E.J. Hilliard, who is one of four FIU early enrollees.

Cristobal said Hilliard has a “great chance” to win the job because he is in early but said that rising sophomore Jake Medlock will enter spring as the starter.

The Panthers, who are in good shape with returners at running back, added only one player at the position — Lamarq Caldwell from Tampa.

A player to watch is offensive lineman Delmar Taylor, who signed with the University of Miami out of high school and is now at FIU after two years in junior college.

The one recruit at tight end is 6-4, 255-pound Byran Attaway, who is also listed as a defensive lineman. All in all, FIU seems to have addressed its position needs.

Happy fans

How good these players turn out to be is the big question. But given where the Panthers were on Monday — with the real possibility of losing Cristobal — FIU fans have to be happy.

At his signing day announcement at Jackson, Jasper was asked what he would have done had Cristobal left.

“I never thought he would leave,” Jasper said, side-stepping the issue like he would a linebacker. “He told me he wasn’t going anywhere. I believed him, and I believed in the program.”