FIU Panthers cornerback Stantley Thomas-Oliver is getting attention from these NFL teams

Quarterback James Morgan isn’t FIU’s only draft prospect.

Cornerback Stantley Thomas-Oliver, who competed in the East-West Shrine Game in January and ran a 4.48 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine in February, has been getting extra attention from the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers.

Both of those teams have conducted video interviews with Thomas-Oliver, who could be a late-round selection during this year’s NFL Draft, set for April 23-25.

“I’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback,” Thomas Oliver said. “A lot of teams look at me as a developmental player since I’ve only played cornerback for two years. They believe I can play special teams while I continue to develop as a cornerback, gaining as much knowledge as possible.”

Thomas-Oliver was a wide receiver until FIU coach Butch Davis moved him to cornerback for the 2018 season.

That turned out to be a genius move as Thomas-Oliver started the final 11 games of FIU’s 2018 season, leading the team with 10 pass-breakups. He had seven tackles, four pass-breakups and one interception that year in a breakout performance against Western Kentucky.

This past season, Thomas-Oliver started all 13 of FIU’s games, leading the team with eight pass-breakups. He ranked sixth on the team with 54 tackles, and he also added a pair of sacks, making second-team All-Conference USA.

He scored a late invitation to the East-West Shrine Game, playing that contest “with a chip on my shoulder,” he said.

Thomas-Oliver, who needs one more semester before he can earn his Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, said he has no idea what to expect in the draft.

“The draft is tricky,” he said. “Hopefully I will get drafted. If not, I will work to make a team.”

As for Morgan, who has been listed in mock drafts anywhere from the third round to the seventh, Thomas-Oliver had nothing but praise.

“James is very deserving,” Thomas Oliver said. “I competed against him in practice the whole week of the East-West Shrine Game. He’s a great teammate and leader.”

FIU PANTHERS NEWS AND NOTES

▪ Weighed and measured at the NFL Combine, Thomas-Oliver is now official 6-0, 192 pounds. FIU’s website had previously listed him at 6-2.

▪ Morgan is the second-highest rated Conference USA player, trailing only Florida Atlantic tight end Harrison Bryant.

▪ FIU has two other players who could be late-round picks/free agents: defensive tackle Teair Tart and middle linebacker Sage Lewis.

▪ FIU men’s basketball coach Jeremy Ballard has four scholarships available and hopes to add at least two players when the next signing period starts on Wednesday.

▪ Recently hired FIU men’s soccer coach Kyle Russell said he watched several Panthers games even before he interviewed for the job. He focused on FIU’s games against teams he knew such as Kentucky, Marshall and Charlotte. That gave him a frame of reference for evaluating FIU’s talent. He also focused on games FIU lost so he could figure out what was needed to change those results.

“I feel I can help [FIU] with mentality in winning close games,” Russell said, “and also in transitioning from defense to offense.”

▪ Russell has hired former FIU soccer player Dannie Merida as his assistant. Merida spent the past nine years on the Stony Brook staff, rising to the post of associate head coach.

This story was originally published April 13, 2020 at 1:57 PM.