FIU Panthers and coach Butch Davis add 2 more FBS transfers to bolster roster

Former Nebraska defensive back Henry Gray is the latest transfer to sign with FIU and coach Butch Davis.

There are 12 Football Bowl Subdivision transfers on the current roster, including nine who were able to come back home to Florida by signing with FIU. Ex-Maryland quarterback Max Bortenschlager, who is from Indiana, is FIU’s other transfer who arrived on campus this summer.

Gray, a 6-1, 185-pound freshman, signed with the Cornhuskers in December,but he announced in May that he was leaving the Nebraska program.

The reason why is unclear. Gray told the Miami Herald he “didn’t want to speak on that” but did say it was for family reasons.

Gray, who played the past two years for Miami Central High — winning his first state title in 2019 — said he was recruited by FIU running backs coach Tim Harris Jr.

“He’s been recruiting me since my sophomore year at Miramar,” Gray said. “We’ve built a good relationship.”

Roland Smith, who coached Gray at Central, said FIU is getting a versatile athlete.

“He can play cornerback or safety, and what makes him valuable is that he’s so long,” Smith said. “He can match up with tall receivers.”

Gray said he prefers cornerback a bit more than safety.

“I have a deep football IQ,” Gray said. “It gives me the opportunity to use my knowledge about offenses, knowing what’s coming.”

As a transfer student-athlete from another FBS school, Gray will likely have to sit out this season as per NCAA rules.

However, he has appealed to the NCAA and is awaiting a decision.

The scouting report on Gray is that he is more quick than fast, good in coverage and physical at the point of attack. After gaining 15 pounds in the past year, Gray provides some pop and plays bigger than his size.

Meanwhile, Bortenschlager, a 6-3, 205-pounder, led Indianapolis Cathedral to a state title as a junior. As a college sophomore, he started eight games for the 2017 Terrapins, but he has been injured much of the past two years.

Bortenschlager has two years of eligibility remaining. He will try to make it two in a row in terms of grad-transfer QBs who end up starting for FIU.

In 2018, James Morgan — a grad transfer from Bowling Green — won the FIU quarterback job and went on to help the Panthers to two consecutive bowl games, earning status this year as a fourth-round pick by the New York Jets.

But Bortenschlager might not have the same success. He missed almost all of the past two years due to injuries, primarily an ankle issue.

In addition, he will have to beat out several FIU quarterbacks to earn the top job. The list includes the front-runner, redshirt junior Kaylan Wiggins, as well as redshirt sophomore Caleb Lynum, redshirt freshman Stone Norton and true freshman Haden Carlson.

Wiggins is a dynamic runner, setting a school record in his only collegiate start — most single-game rushing yards by an FIU quarterback (187, against New Hampshire).

▪ FIU’s other FBS transfers on the current roster include two players from Arkansas and one each from Georgia, Iowa, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Boise State, Northern Iowa, UAB and Florida A&M.

This story was originally published July 21, 2020 at 11:32 AM.