The FIU Panthers lost their offensive coordinator Tim Harris Jr. to the UCF Knights
Forty days.
That’s how long Tim Harris Jr.’s tenure as FIU Panthers offensive coordinator lasted.
The UCF Knights announced Sunday that Harris has been named its co-offensive coordinator.
“My wife and I are so proud of him,” said Harris’ father, Tim “Ice” Harris, who is the head coach at Florida Memorial. “He has done a great job of developing young people.”
Harris Jr., a former Miami Hurricanes track star, had been FIU’s running backs coach since 2015. But after FIU went 0-5 in 2020, Panthers coach Butch Davis let offensive coordinator Rich Skrosky go, replacing him with Harris Jr.
“We’re very excited about the new direction of our offense,” Davis said at the time.
Harris Jr., who was unavailable for comment on Sunday, said last month that he was “grateful and appreciative to Coach Davis for putting trust in me for this great opportunity.”
Obviously, Harris Jr. felt it was an even bigger opportunity to join UCF and new coach Gus Malzahn.
The Knights became a national power in 2017, going 13-0 with an explosive offense. And although the Knights slipped to 6-4 this past season, they still went 41-8 over the past four years.
Malzahn, who led Auburn to the national title as part of the 2013 season, was hired by UCF on Feb. 15. Since then, he has made headlines by hiring linebackers coach Travis Williams away from the Hurricanes. He has also hired cornerbacks coach Corey Bell, who has a long history as a Miami high schools coach.
In Harris Jr., Malzahn hired perhaps the best recruiter among Davis’ assistants.
Davis will now look for a new offensive coordinator in an offseason that has seen numerous changes.
From last season’s staff, gone are co-defensive coordinators Jeff Copp and Jerod Kruse; defensive line coach Kenard Lang; special teams coordinator Harrison Green (who has not yet been replaced); Skrosky; and Harris. In addition, Bryn Renner was moved from defense to offense.
Offensive line coach Joel Rodriguez and wide receiver DJ McCarthy are still in place, but they have only been at FIU for one season.
Other than tight ends coach Drew Davis, who is Butch Davis’ son, no other FIU position coach has been at his same spot for longer than one season.
THIS AND THAT
▪ FIU opened its 2021 baseball season this past weekend by winning two of three games against Illinois-Chicago. The Panthers did it by starting three true freshmen on the infield: Dante Girardi at third, Steven Ondina at shortstop and Adrian Figueroa at first base. Girardi tied for the team high with three RBIs in three games. Figueroa hit 5-for-10, and Ondina made some stellar defensive plays.
Another true freshman, Mario Zabala, won Saturday’s first game when he was used as a pinch-runner in the bottom of the 10th with the score tied 3-3. Zabala stole second and scrambled all the way home when the catcher’s throw was errant.
While on the subject of true freshmen, watch out for three more of them: outfielder RJ Ibanez and pitchers Matt Fernandez and Orlando Hernandez Jr. FIU coach Mervyl Melendez said he is looking for ways to get Ibanez into the lineup. Fernandez is already the team’s No. 3 starter, and Hernandez could start this weekend against Miami of Ohio in what is scheduled to be a four-game series.
FIU pitching coach Willie Collazo said that fourth spot in the rotation is between Hernandez and third-year sophomore Angel Tiburcio.
“Our freshmen are doing well,” Melendez said. “I like how they stayed in the game mentally.”
This story was originally published February 22, 2021 at 9:45 AM.