FIU football adds quarterback among haul of nine additions through transfer portal
Gunnar Holmberg, who completed 67 percent of his passes as Duke’s starting quarterback in 2021, has transferred to FIU, according to a source.
Holmberg, who turns 23 next month, immediately becomes the likely Panthers starting QB for 2022, although he will have to beat out young passers Haden Carlson and Grayson James.
Panthers coach Mike MacIntyre, who was hired last month, welcomed Holmberg and eight other transfers to FIU on Monday, the first day of classes in the new semester.
Six of the transfers play offense, including Holmberg; wide receivers Sharod Johnson (Syracuse) and Jacolby Hewitt (Indiana); tight end Josiah Miamen (Iowa); and offensive linemen Sam Hill (Reinhardt) and Deyavie Hammond (Independence Community College).
In addition, FIU picked up defensive end Latarie Kinsler (Syracuse), linebacker Donovan Manuel (East Tennessee State) and safety Willie Reid (Central Michigan).
Here’s a closer look at the haul:
▪ Holmberg, a 6-3, 205-pounder from North Carolina, was a first-year starter in 2021, when he passed for 2,358 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions in 11 games. Duke went 3-9 overall and 0-8 in the ACC, including a 47-10 loss to Miami. That turned out to be the final game at Duke for coach David Cutcliffe and for Holmberg (20-for-33 for 148 yards and one interception).
▪ Johnson, a 5-11, 185-pounder from Miami’s Booker T. Washington, played 32 games at Syracuse, starting 10 of them. His career numbers include 26 catches for 322 yards and a 12.4 average. As a fifth-year player in 2021, he caught 14 passes for 184 yards.
▪ Hewitt, a 6-1, 200-pounder from Tennessee, played in all 18 of Indiana’s games the past two years. His highlights include catching four passes for 41 yards this past season against Western Kentucky. He also returned a kickoff 72 yards against Idaho.
▪ Miamen, a 6-4, 245-pounder from Illinois, played just three games in three years, catching one pass for 22 yards.
▪ Hill and Hammond add massive size to the line. Hill is a 6-3, 345-pounder from Georgia. Hammond is a 6-4, 320-pounder from Lakeland.
▪ Kinsler, a 6-3, 235-pounder, is from Pahokee. Out of high school, he was a three-star recruit with offers from Miami, LSU, Oregon, Penn State, Southern Cal and more. However, he did not play a single game in two years at Syracuse.
▪ Manuel, a 6-1, 200-pounder from Georgia, had a career-high 124 tackles and was named to the All-Southern Conference first team in 2021. He also led the 2021 Bucs to a program record in wins (11-2), their first outright Southern Conference title and a No. 7 national ranking (FCS).
▪ Reid, a 6-1, 205-pounder from Detroit, made Phil Steele’s first-team All-Mid-American Conference in 2020. In that six-game season, he led the MAC with three interceptions and with two fumbles recovered. He has played 22 college games, including 14 starts.
THIS AND THAT
▪ Former FIU offensive line coach Joel Rodriguez is now at Akron, where he will also serve as run-game coordinator.
▪ Ex-FIU defensive coordinator Everett Withers is now Temple’s chief of staff.