FIU Football: How High School Tape Will Help Keyone Jenkins in Year Two

Kevin Barral | Apr 5, 2024

Nov 18, 2023; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; FIU Panthers quarterback Keyone Jenkins (1) passes in the / Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Just three practices away from the April 13 Spring Showcase, the weather didn’t hold the FIU Panthers from a physical practice, but inside the FIU Football Stadium facility. Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach David Yost and quarterback Keyone Jenkins have spent time looking back at the sophomore’s quarterback senior season at Miami Central High.

“We broke down every one of his high school games his senior year,” said Yost. “Multiple coaches on the staff watched it to come up with ideas. This is what he does well, what can we do, how does that fit? How can we get him to do that? Because we need to accelerate his progress.”

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Yost has never done this with any of his quarterbacks before. He took inspiration from Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton.

“Last year when Sean Payton was getting ready for the Broncos job they talked he made a comment about Russell Wilson and he said if I was the head coach and this before taking the job. First thing I’d do is go watch Russell Wilson's last four years.”

In 2023, Jenkins threw for 2,414 yards, 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Looking back at his season, Yost noticed that they needed to play to Jenkins' strengths like the staff at Miami Central did.

“Let's use any information he has to his advantage. We'd rather play at a more experienced level. earlier.”

For Yost, it wasn’t much about changing the offense, but implementing more of what he does well. The skillset that Jenkins did in 2023 that stood out to Yost was throwing on the move.

“He threw on the move well last year,” said Yost. “That's not something you find in high school. He was kind of a boxset throw and if he didn't like it, he took off. That's what early in the season last year you can see. He went back in and didn’t like it.”