FIU football bolsters defense among 21 total signees on National Signing Day
FIU Panthers football coach Butch Davis announced the signings of six recruits Wednesday, and five of them will start out playing defense.
FIU’s 2020 recruiting class, which includes 15 players who signed in December, is ranked third in Conference USA and 73rd in the nation. For perspective, consider that FIU’s 2019 class was ranked ninth in the league and 88th nationally.
As for Wednesday’s announced signees, Eric Wilson Jr., a running back who averaged 1,050 yards and 12.5 touchdowns per season the past two years at Armwood, is the only offensive player on the list.
“[Wilson] is a physical runner with good short-area quickness,” FIU running backs coach Tim Harris Jr. said. “He catches the ball well and pass protects well.”
Jecoryan Davis-Hamilton, a 6-1, 195-pounder from Apopka, is designated as an “athlete” after playing quarterback, running back and defensive back in high school. However, he will start out at defensive back in college, according to Davis.
The other four players who announced their signings Wednesday are linebackers A.J. Mathis and Chance Coleman, cornerback Jamal Potts and safety Joe Perkins.
FIU co-defensive coordinator Jeff Copp, who also coaches the linebackers, said Mathis decommitted from Miami the day after FIU beat the Hurricanes.
“That day [of the decommitment], his high school coach called us about A.J.,” Copp said of Mathis, who had 104 tackles, four sacks and one interception as a senior. “[Mathis] wanted to stay in Florida. He felt comfortable with us.”
Copp said Perkins might be a steal.
“We found him late in the recruiting process,” Copp said of Perkins, who had eight pass-breakups, two punt blocks and one interception returned for a score as a senior in Mississippi. “He had just gotten dropped from Colorado.”
Meanwhile, Potts had six pass-breakups and five interceptions as a senior.
Coleman, who had previously committed to the University of South Florida, had 90 tackles, five sacks and one forced fumble as a senior. His father, Cosey Coleman, was an All-American offensive lineman at Tennessee and played seven years in the NFL.
Wilson joins a crowded FIU backfield. Rising senior D’Vonte Price is the presumptive starter. He has 940 career rushing yards, a 6.1 average and five touchdowns.
After that, it could be wide open among running backs such as 2019 Arkansas transfer Maleek Williams and 2018 recruits Shaun Peterson and Demarcus Townsend.
The youngest running backs in the room will be 2019 freshman Lexington Joseph and 2020 recruits Wilson and Kejon Owens.
“I’m waiting to see which ones of all our running backs take the next step,” Harris said.
FIU graduated its top two running backs from last season: Anthony Jones (867 yards, 4.6 average, 9 TDs) and Napoleon Maxwell (675 yards, 5.3 average, 9 TDs).
But Harris doesn’t seem concerned.
“We’ll miss those guys, but I don’t get too stressed,” Harris said. “We have a lot of capable guys.”
THIS AND THAT
▪ Davis said there are two scholarships open for this cycle, and they could go to a transfer who becomes available over the coming months.
▪ With Jones, Joseph and Owens, FIU has signed three Miami Central running backs in the past six years.
▪ According to 247 Sports, Louisiana Tech had the No. 1 recruiting class in Conference USA, followed by North Texas and then FIU. Reigning league champ FAU had its class ranked sixth.
▪ Potts reportedly allowed just six passes caught against him last season. He also played wide receiver and safety at times in his career, but he sees himself as a shut-down corner. He showed his explosive athletic ability by averaging 23.1 yards on 27 catches as a senior, earning first-team All-Palm Beach County honors.
▪ With Potts and Tamarick Best, FIU signed two Palm Beach players in this cycle. “Tamarick is going to be an unbelievable middle linebacker for us down the road,” Copp said.
▪ Of the 21 recruits, 11 are on offense, nine on defense and one kicker: Chase Gabriel, who is expected to become an instant starter. There are no four-year-school transfers and two who came from junior colleges.
▪ FIU signed four each from Miami-Dade and Broward. FIU also signed three players from Tampa, an area recruited by Davis’ son, tight ends coach Drew Davis.
▪ RB: Eric Wilson Jr., 5-11, 195, Armwood; LB: A.J. Mathis, 6-2, 200, Largo; LB: Chance Coleman, 6-0, 205, Tampa Gaither; DB: Joe Perkins, 6-0, 195, Madison, Mississippi; DB: Jamal Potts, 6-2, 185, Delray American Heritage; DB/ATH: Jecoryan Davis-Hamilton, 6-1, 195, Apopka; QB: Haden Carlson, 6-3, 195, Tampa Steinbrenner; RB: Kejon Owens, 5-10, 185, Miami Central; RB: Eric Wilson Jr., 5-11, 195, Armwood; WR: Teddy Richardson III, 5-11, 185, Booker T. Washington; WR: Xavier McGriff, 6-2, 180, Jacksonville Baldwin; TE: Rivaldo Fairweather, 6-4, 235, Boyd Anderson; OL: Jose Mirabal, 6-5, 300, South Dade; OL: Jahmari Sylvester, 6-5, 315, St. Thomas Aquinas; OL: Kameren Williams, 6-4, 290, Humble, Texas (junior college); OL: Miles Frazier, 6-5, 305, Camden, New Jersey; OL: Maljon Joor, 6-3, 320 Jackson, Mississippi (junior college); DE: Shykieim Gloster, 6-4, 220, Monsignor Pace; DT: Bobby Washington, 5-11, 290, St. Thomas Aquinas; LB: Tamarick Best, 6-1, 225, Pahokee ; LB: A.J. Mathis, 6-2, 200, Largo; LB: Chance Coleman, 6-0, 205, Tampa Gaither; CB: Jamal Potts, 6-2, 185, Delray American Heritage; CB/S: Andrew Volmar, 6-1, 170, Plantaton American Heritage; DB/ATH: Jecoryan Davis-Hamilton, 6-1, 195, Apopka; S: Joe Perkins, 6-0, 195, Madison, Mississippi; K: Chase Gabriel, 5-11, 185, Brunswick, Georgia
This story was originally published February 5, 2020 at 5:43 PM.