‘The Faithful Eight’: FIU signs eight players despite football coaching vacancy

Call them “The Faithful Eight.”

The FIU Panthers football team — which does not have a head coach at the moment — signed eight high school seniors on Wednesday, the start of the early recruitment period.

Coach Mike MacIntyre was fired Sunday, and although defensive coordinator Jovan Dewitt is now the interim coach, there is zero guarantee that any assistant will be here when the new football boss is eventually hired.

Regardless of that situation, those faithful eight players – five on offense and three on defense – committed to the Panthers.

Two of the signees are wide receivers Tyson Carter of Orlando Edgewater and Kenny Williams of Miami Gulliver Prep, and they have clearly bonded during the recruiting process.

Carter, in a text exchange with the Herald, said he was comforted by some of the names he has seen attached to the FIU coaching search, including University of Central Florida offensive coordinator Tim Harris Jr.; and Duke running backs coach Willie Simmons, who went 45-13 in six years as Florida A&M’s head coach.

“I believe they will be good picks,” Carter said of the FIU candidates. “I talked with Kenny [Williams], and we decided we could take advantage of the coaching change and try to play as freshmen because there will be no bias [toward older players].”

Carter caught 30 passes for 636 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior this past season.

Williams said he is a “family guy”, and that’s a big reason whe decided to sign with FIU and stay close to his mother and his younger brother, Kendrick Williams, a 16-year-old cornerback who plays for Miami Killian.

“My little brother looks up to me,” Williams said. “Plus, I trust whoever they bring in as coaches. I will be able to prove myself to them because of my work ethic.”

Williams had more than 700 receiving yards in each of his junior and senior seasons.

Including his part-time roles as a freshman and sophomore, Williams’ career totals include 124 catches for 1,824 yards and seven touchdowns.

“I’m not rushing anything, but I want to get on the field as fast as possible,” Williams said. “I have that ability. I can take the top off a defense, but I can also take a 5-yard pass and run it 80 yards for a touchdown. I’m a fluid route-runner with great hands, and I’m tough.”

Sean Burke, another pass-catcher signed by FIU on Wednesday, is a 6-5, 215-pound tight end from Hollywood South Broward who was credited with 101 “pancake” blocks over the past two years.

As a pass-catcher, Burke caught 80 passes for 1,505 yards and three TDs in two years.

Burke is a terrific athlete — he played baseball for South Broward, and he lined up on defense in football as an edge rusher, totaling 38 tackles for losses in two years.

FIU also signed offensive tackle Jeremy Smith from Miami Central.

“I know they are getting a new coaching staff, but I’m going to trust the process,” Smith said.

FIU’s other signee on offense on Wednesday was running back Sterling Joseph. He is the brother of FIU running back Lexington Joseph, who completed his college eligibility this year.

Sterling Joseph ran for 3,140 yards and 24 touchdowns the past two years, averaging 9.7 per rush. He also caught 17 passes for 322 yards and two TDs in that span.

On defense, FIU signed inside linebacker Cam Davis, outside linebacker Matthew Pointer and safety Kelvin Reyes.

Davis was a three-year starter at Pompano Beach Ely. Over his final two seasons, he totaled 178 tackles, eight sacks and three interceptions.

Pointer, a 6-4, 235-pounder, also plays basketball for Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna. But his main thing is rushing the passer. As a senior, he had 7½ sacks and 20½ tackles for losses.

Reyes intercepted seven passes and made 118 tackles as a three-year starter for Pembroke Pines West Broward. He also played baseball.

On the negative side for FIU, several players who were listed by 247 Sports last week as committed to the Panthers did not sign on Wednesday.

That list includes offensive linemen Michael Dean (Palm Beach Central) and Dylan Frechette (Cardinal Newman; wide receiver Amari Isaac (Hollywood Hills); edge rusher Richard Scott III (Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas); and safety Lorenzo Smith (Mississippi).

FIU’S EARLY SIGNEES

RB: Sterling Joseph, 5-8, 175, Miami Edison; WR: Kenny Williams, 5-9, 160, Gulliver Prep; WR: Tyson Carter, 5-11, 160, Orlando Edgewater; TE: Sean Burke, 6-5, 215, South Broward; OT: Jeremy Smith, 6-5, 250, Miami Central; ILB: Cam Davis, 6-1, 210, Pompano Ely; OLB: Matthew Pointer, 6-4, 235, Chaminade; Safety: Kelvin Reyes, 6-0, 170, West Broward.

This story was originally published December 4, 2024 at 1:33 PM.