The FIU Panthers suspend next week’s football practices because of the coronavirus

As expected, the FIU Panthers on Friday suspended spring football practices until further notice because of the threat posed by the coronavirus.

Practices had been set to begin Monday, but the action taken by the FIU football team is consistent with what is happening throughout the university as well as the country.

“With classes at FIU switching to remote instruction until at least April 4, our focus is helping transition our players to online courses,” FIU coach Butch Davis said in a statement.

“We’re working closely with medical experts on best practices to prevent, contain and minimize the impact of this virus. We will continue to educate our team on all the preventative measures they can take to protect themselves and their loved ones.”

FIU, coming off a losing season at 6-7 but also its third straight bowl appearance, had been anticipating an impactful spring given that numerous standout players have been lost to graduation, most notably quarterback James Morgan.

The top candidates at quarterback are redshirt junior Kaylan Wiggins, redshirt freshman Stone Norton, redshirt sophomore Caleb Lynum and incoming freshman Haden Carlson.

This story was originally published March 13, 2020 at 1:23 PM.