One of the FIU Panthers’ most consistent football players enters the transfer portal
The most productive kicker in FIU football history and the team’s starting right tackle have decided to spend their last years of eligibility elsewhere.
Jose Borregales’ 281 career points set an official school record for scoring and his willingness to hit on special teams set unofficial records for kicker toughness. Though the Booker T. Washington graduate announced on social media, “I will always be an FIU Panther!!” it was after he said he’ll be entering the NCAA transfer portal.
“Before I stepped foot at FIU, I told myself, my family and [FIU running backs[ Coach Tim [Harris, Jr.] that I will...break records and be one of the best kickers that had ever been a Panther,” part of Borregales’ Tweet read. “Today, I can fainlly say that I have accomplished what I set out to do. Being the man I am today and knowing what type of person I am, I am always looking for new challenges to test my abilities. Unfortunately, I have accomplished all of those challenges that I set out to do here at FIU.”
Starting right tackle Devontay Taylor also announced Thursday he’d be going elsewhere as a graduate transfer. Taylor played in 25 of 26 games the last two seasons and started every game in 2019.
After redshirting in 2016, Borregales was a consistent 14 of 18 (77.8 percent) in 2017 and 15 of 18 (83.3 percent) in 2018 on field goals with a school-record long of 53 yards. He was a combined 94 of 95 on extra points.
Each successful kick was greeted with “Jo-se, Jose-Jose-Jose! Jo-se! Jo-se!” from pockets of FIU fans during home games, especially in Section 112, which is right behind the Panthers bench.
Borregales started as erratically as an old car in 2019 — hitting only two of his first six field goal attempts — but closed it like a racer on rails. He banged in nine of his last 10 field goals, including 50 and 53-yarders in FIU’s 30-24 upset of the Hurricanes at Marlins Park. He nailed four field goals in the 34-26 Camellia Bowl loss to Arkansas State, a 52-yarder among them, before missing a 29-yarder that would’ve given FIU the lead late in the game.
The response to his Twitter apology for the miss (“I apologize for anyone I let down”) was interesting: in an era when fans feel free to perform keyboard assaults on college athletes, especially kickers, not a single fan criticized Borregales. Even the University of Miami fan who joined the thread said he couldn’t make fun of Borregales.
Borregales’ younger brother, Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna kicker Andres Borregales, is a Hurricanes commit for 2021.
