FIU football ‘stole’ a top athlete who is recovering from injury, but where will he play?
Perhaps the biggest steal of FIU’s Class of 2020 football recruits is a 17-year-old kid who can’t yet run full speed following two major surgeries on his left knee.
Before his two injuries, Jecoryan Davis-Hamilton said he had scholarship offers from schools like Ohio State, Auburn, Miami and Ole Miss.
Davis-Hamilton, a 6-1, 195-pounder from Georgia, played his high school football in the Orlando area, for Apopka, where he was used as a running back, safety, kick returner, punt returner, wide receiver and quarterback.
“FIU stole one,” Apopka coach Jeff Rolson said of Davis-Hamilton. “Without that injury, he is probably playing at Ohio State or Alabama.”
As a sophomore, Davis-Hamilton was dynamic, rushing for 1,107 yards, a 7.1 average and 16 touchdowns.
But on August 31 at Bartram Trail — the second game of the 2018 season — Davis-Hamilton was hit on his left knee, causing an injury that required ACL surgery. The following spring, nearly recovered, Davis-Hamilton was playing pickup 7-on-7 football when he went up for a pass.
“When I came down, my knee popped,” Davis-Hamilton said. “I was devastated — really mad. It was more adversity.”
Following that injury, all his major offers evaporated.
“I didn’t necessarily blame them,” Davis-Hamilton said of those college coaches who pulled offers. “Sports is a business. You can’t take a kid who seems injury-prone.”
FIU had other ideas, however. DJ McCarthy, FIU’s new special teams coach, reached out to Davis-Hamilton last month. Davis-Hamilton had been to Miami previously, to camps in Coral Gables and at FIU, and he had always enjoyed the city’s vibe.
The recruitment went quickly from there, and Davis-Hamilton signed with FIU on Feb. 5.
Listed as an “athlete,” Davis-Hamilton will likely be tried at safety first, according to FIU coach Butch Davis.
But FIU offensive coordinator Rich Skrosky said he wouldn’t mind having Davis-Hamilton on his side of the ball.
“Jecoryan had a couple of injuries in high school, but, based on his early stuff, he is an elite athlete,” Skrosky said. “Coach Davis has always lived in that world of, ‘Let’s get him on campus and then figure it out.’”
FIU has a bit of a void in the secondary after the graduation losses of cornerbacks Ike Brown and Stantley Thomas-Oliver and safety Olin Cushion, all starters. FIU’s 2020 secondary will return twins Richard and Rishard Dames along with Dorian Hall and Josh Turner, among others.
“I’m not 100 percent certain,” Butch Davis said, “but the secondary could be the quickest way for Jecoryan to help us.”
However, just when Davis-Hamilton will be ready to play is still an open question.
Rolson said he thought redshirting Davis-Hamilton in 2020 might be the best idea to ensure he is fully healthy for 2021.
Davis-Hamilton said he expects to get cleared medically by July.
“I haven’t been out there in so long — I have a strong urge to play,” he said. “But I will listen to the coaches. I’m disciplined enough to hold off until I’m healthy so that I can help my team the most.”
THIS AND THAT
▪ FIU’s baseball team, off to a 7-0 start, will play host to 7-0 Pepperdine this weekend. FIU is led by Logan Allen, a potential first-round pick who is 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA. He is expected to start Friday against Pepperdine.
▪ FIU’s men’s basketball will play its first game in 12 days on Thursday when the Panthers host North Texas. FIU is 11-1 at home this season. Overall, though, the Panthers (17-10, 8-6 Conference USA) are looking to break a two-game losing skid.