1 player decommitted and another said he’s ‘thinking,’ but most FIU prospects on board

With the early signing period starting Wednesday, the FIU Panthers — coming off their first winless football season since 2006 — are hoping to hold on to their recruits.

So far, one FIU recruit, defensive tackle Kenjuan Manuel (from Washington, D.C.), has backed out of his commitment to the Panthers. Manuel tweeted Oct. 21 that he was reopening his recruitment.

Also, offensive lineman Levontre Daniels (from Starke) texted the Miami Herald about his plans:

“I’m still planning on signing with FIU. But I’m not signing early. I’m still thinking.”

FIU’s 0-5 record, Daniels said, bothers him “a little.”

Assuming Daniels stays, that still leaves FIU with 10 recruits committed. This “early” recruiting period closes Friday. The regular signing period opens on Feb. 3, giving FIU plenty of time to fill out its recruiting class.

So far, the Panthers have mostly focused on the offensive line and the secondary, with three recruits at each of those spots.

Miami Northwestern linebacker Amahri McCray, one of the Panthers’ 10 recruits, said he’s not concerned with FIU’s record this year.

“I know we didn’t have a great season,” McCray texted. “But what I do know is that we are in the middle of a pandemic. We have some of the best coaches pat FIU[, and we have guys who can ball. The record didn’t affect [my decision] at all.”

Here’s a position-by-position look at where the FIU roster stands and how the Panthers’ recruiting efforts will impact their depth:

▪ Quarterback: With the news this week that former star recruit Stone Norton has hit the transfer portal, FIU will be looking to add a passer, either as an incoming freshman or a transfer … or both.

So far, FIU has no new QBs committed. The four passers FIU has offered in this recruiting cycle have all committed elsewhere.

Barring more outgoing transfers, the Panthers return veterans Max Bortenschlager and Kaylan Wiggins, neither of which was able to clearly earn the starting job. Waiting for likely a bigger opportunity is 2020 recruit Haden Carlson.

▪ Running back: D’vonte Price, who averaged 116 yards per game in a stellar senior season, is likely off to the NFL, leaving a massive void.

Fortunately, FIU has a verbal commitment from Katravis Geter of Carol City.

Former NFL defensive back E.J. Biggers, now the defensive coordinator at North Miami Beach, was very impressed with Geter when the teams met this season.

“He is a high school version of Adrian Peterson,” Biggers said of Geter, who is listed at 5-10 and 195 pounds. “[Geter] drags people, breaks tackles, and he can also take it to the house for 75 yards, which he did against us. I told our guys to wrap him, get him by his shoestrings, anything you can do because he is such a hard runner.”

FIU also has other talented runners on its roster, including Shaun Peterson, Lexington Joseph, EJ Wilson, Kejon Owens and Maleek Williams.

▪ Wide receiver: There are no committed recruits on FIU’s list, and that’s a concern. Bryce Singleton and JJ Holloman had disappointing redshirt junior seasons, but FIU’s QB issues played a role. The best younger receiver on the roster appears to be Nate Jefferson.

▪ Tight end: FIU has a commitment from Daniel Pilgrim and is well stocked at this position. True freshman Rivaldo Fairweather emerged this year, and veteran Sterling Palmer is still there.

▪ Offensive line: If the Panthers can keep Daniels, they have three blockers on board, including Stranahan’s Kareem Harden and Georgia’s Kalil Muhammad.

On the current roster, the Panthers will likely have to replace star left tackle D’Antne Demery, who is an NFL prospect.

▪ Defensive line: FIU has no committed players at this spot, and coach Butch Davis won’t stand for that since he loves rotating 8-to-10 d-linemen.

▪ Linebacker: The Panthers have two recruits here: McCray and Hallandale’s Gaethan Bernadel.

Said Bernadel: “I’m coming to FIU because I feel like my class and the Class of 2020 can do something special.”

On the current roster, Jamal Gates was FIU’s best linebacker this year, but more help is needed.

▪ Defensive backs: FIU is off to a great start here with three recruits: Miami Springs’ Demetrius Hill, who is the Panthers’ top-rated recruit, Orlando’s Jakovi Bryant and North Miami Beach’s D’moir Jean-Baptiste.

All three prospects told the Herald they will sign with FIU on Wednesday.

“We all have bad seasons — it’s up to us to change it,” Jean-Baptiste said when asked about FIU’s 0-5 record. “I’m coming to FIU because we’ve built a relationship, and it’s more than football they want out of me.”

▪ Special teams: Along with running back, this was the strength of the team in 2020. That should continue for 2021 as long as punter Tommy Heatherly returns.

▪ Summary: Recruiting expert Charles Fishbein said he doesn’t believe FIU’s losing record will adversely affect this class.

“A lot of times, kids see an opportunity to play early,” Fishbein said. “I think FIU has a good little class so far. I especially like Geter, Hill and Bernadel. I also think Harden is very good and will end up a starter for them.”