After ‘perfect’ spring, Nazeviah Burris looks for a big season as FIU receiver

For Nazeviah Burris, it was a perfect spring – and it had nothing to do with the beach.

Burris was the first name mentioned by FIU quarterback Keyone Jenkins when he was asked which teammate had the best offseason.

“He went the whole spring without a drop, which is unheard of,” Jenkins said of Burris. “He’s one of those guys you can look for to get you a first down.”

It wasn’t just the lack of drops – it was the catches, too.

FIU receivers coach Jay MacIntyre said Burris led all Panthers receivers this spring with 67 catches, and that counts all scrimmages and “team” practices.

So, who is Nazeviah Burris?

A native of Union, South Carolina, Burris, 21, played his first two collegiate seasons at Stetson, a non-scholarship FCS program.

Last year, he decided to play just four games at Stetson, thus keeping his redshirt season intact. He then transferred to FIU, where he is on scholarship and has two years of eligibility remaining.

MacIntyre is thrilled with how things have worked out for FIU and Burris.

“He has strong hands and really good hand-eye coordination,” said MacIntyre of Burris, who stands 5-11 and weighs 200 pounds.

“For his size, he has a great catch radius. He is also a strong kid who can catch the ball through contact.”

Burris said FIU veteran wide receiver Dean Patterson has served as his mentor this year.

“When I first got here, Dean was a big brother to me,” Burris said.

“We would go every night and catch about 200 balls on the Jugs machine, and when you put the work in, you see the results.”

Even so, there are certain techniques that have become a focus for Burris.

“It’s not about catching with your hands,” he said. “It’s about catching with your eyes.

“Get your eyes to the catch. When you see the ball into your hands, it’s pretty hard to drop it.”

Indeed, over his final 14 games at Stetson, spanning the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Burris caught 67 passes for 929 yards and four touchdowns.

“I’m in the record books at Stetson,” said Burris, who is majoring in Business Communications and wants to work with kids when he is done playing football. “I caught four touchdown passes in one game as a freshman.

“I started out hot at Stetson, and I’m grateful for the opportunity.”

He’s started out pretty hot at FIU, too, but – ironically – he dropped the first pass thrown to him this fall.

“I’m still human,” Burris said with a slight smile. “I got my one (drop) out of the way.

“I have to keep working. You learn from it, get better and try not to do it again. I get frustrated, but you have to tell yourself ‘next play’. Because if you dwell on it, it will mess you up for the rest of the practice.”

Burris, who said he can play in the slot or outside, said he has made the adjustment from Stetson.

“At FIU, it’s faster-paced, more motion, more switching,” he said. “You get lined up faster, too.”

Burris is part of a terrific trio of transfer receivers brought in this year by MacIntyre and FIU.

The list also includes Desna “DJ” Washington, a 6-4, 210-pounder who caught 29 passes last year for New Mexico; and Juju Lewis, a 6-1, 215-pounder who didn’t play in two seasons at Georgia Tech.

The leaders of the unit, however, are a pair of FIU returners: Patterson and Eric Rivers.

Patterson made 28 catches last year for 423 yards and one touchdown. Rivers made 32 grabs for 370 yards and two scores.

The Panthers lost star receiver Kris Mitchell, who bolted to Notre Dame after he broke FIU’s single-season receiving record with 1,118 yards. He caught 64 passes, including six touchdowns.

“It’s my deepest group yet,” said MacIntyre, who is in his third year as FIU’s receivers coach. “And it’s not a selfish group. They compete with each other. But they are also there for each other.”