G5 Football Daily

FIU Football: Key Storylines Going Into Spring Camp

With spring camp set to begin in a couple weeks, we go through some names who fans need to keep an eye out for

Kevin Barral

FIU football during OTA's
FIU football during OTA's / FIU Athletics
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MIAMI, FL - FIU is set to officially begin the Willie Simmons era on Tuesday, March 4 as spring camp will open up with practices every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The spring session concludes with the annual spring game taking place on Saturday, April 5.

A new coach means a lot of new faces and storylines to keep an eye out for, so here are the top three storylines going into spring camp.

Who will emerge as the two starting safeties?

Last season's duo of Jojo Evans and CJ Christian are now off to power conference schools via the transfer portal. In 2025, there will be two new faces starting for defensive coordinator Jovan Dewitt...but who will those faces be, exactly?

The main name that stands out amongst the newcomers is Arkansas State transfer Websley Etienne. In 2024, Etienne posted 56 total tackles (35 solo/21 assisted), two tackles for loss and two interceptions. After getting some starts this past season, the three-year transfer will almost certainly have the edge to start camp.

Former FWAA Freshman All-American Demetrius Hill transferred out of FIU following the 2022 season and made his way to Illinois, but his career there only lasted one game before suffering a season-ending injury in 2023 and didn't play in 2024 due to injury as well. He has now returned to FIU for the 2025 campaign.

In his breakout 2022 campaign, Hill posted 95 total tackles (51 solo/44 assisted), four tackles for loss and one interception. It will be interesting to see how Hill will look following his two year absence, but with experience in Conference USA, he will be a name to keep an eye on throughout camp.

Sophomore Shamir Sterling saw action in only three games last season, but did see plenty of reps throughout those three games posting nine total tackles (two solo/seven assisted). Bobby Salla Jr., the vet of the group saw action in all 12 games last year on defense and special teams. He posted 12 total tackles (three solo/nine assisted), but caught his first career interception against UTEP.

Who can emerge as the top wideout?

The Panthers' wide receiver tandem of Eric Rivers and Dean Patterson are now in the ACC, so a new wide receiver will have to step up to make up for the loss of the top two targets.

Juju Lewis, a Georgia Tech transfer, saw action in four games in 2024 with FIU before suffering a torn ACL. In those four games, he hauled in five receptions for 93 yards and two touchdowns. Standing at 6'1," 214 pounds, a healthy Lewis will be a nice target for Jenkins. It's just a matter of how he returns from the injury,

Hawaii transfer Alex Perry stands at 6'5," 195 pounds, making for a great deep threat and will be someone who can win those 50/50 balls. In 2024, he caught 22 passes for 195 yards. He caught three touchdowns in 2023 with the Rainbow Warriors.

One name who has quietly gotten reps is redshirt sophomore Luby Maurice Jr. In 2024, he played in ten games, primarily on special teams, but did have a late game touchdown in the Panthers home opener against Central Michigan. It was a 15-yard rushing touchdown. The prior coaching staff was high on Maurice and his ability to get up there and catch the 50/50 balls. With spots to be had on offense, Maurice wil have an opportunity to start right away.

Miramar product Eric Nelson is a name that has been spoken of plenty ever since he arrived on campus. Although he has yet to play a game, his speed is what stands out and will have an opportunity to play right away under new offensive coordinator Nick Coleman.

Expect Ross Fournet to be the Panthers' primary slot receiver. With the injury to Nazeviah Burris, who has since then transferred to Arkansas State, Fournet saw a lot more action, finishing the season with seven receptions for 80 yards.

Newcomers To The Program

FIU brought in 14 transfers from the portal prior to spring practice, with eight of them coming from power conference schools, four from G5 programs and one from an FCS program.

The main name to keep an eye on is Miami Hurricanes transfer running back Ajay Allen. In his two seasons at Miami, he ran for 544 yards and seven touchdowns on 94 attempts. Although the running back room lost Lexington Joseph and Shomari Lawrence, it will still be the deepest room on the team with redshirt freshman Devonte Lyons and Kejon Owens returning for another season.

The starting offensive line will look completely different outside of Jaheim Buchanon. One of the most notable transfers in that department is University of Miami transfer Antonio Tripp, and returning for his second stint at FIU is Middle Tennessee State transfer Julius Pierce.

It's also noteworthy that the portal will open again in April, which could provide for more roster shakeups for Simmons and company.

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Kevin Barral
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