Panthers sign 13 to scholarships; one more expected
The FIU football team signed 13 players to scholarships Wednesday, including five who had not committed previously.
Coach Butch Davis said he expects one more recruit — who plays offense — to join the Panthers by Friday, when the early signing period closes.
The rest of FIU’s signees will sign Feb. 3 or later, and that group could include transfers.
Davis said he didn’t run from FIU’s 0-5 record — the Panthers’ first winless season since 2006 — with any of his recruits.
“You can’t hide the record,” Davis said.
Instead, he pointed out the really close losses — by two points to Liberty and by three to Middle Tennessee State — while hyping the graduation rate of FIU football players and the Panthers’ three trips to bowl games in the previous three years.
Three players who had previously committed to FIU did not sign, at least not yet: Washington, D.C. defensive tackle Kenjuan Manuel and offensive linemen Levontre Daniels (from Starke) and Kalil Muhammad (Georgia).
FIU’s five new recruits are:
Wide receiver Artez
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Hooker Jr.: He decommitted from Buffalo on Tuesday.
“Artez is explosive, fast and tough,” Davis said of Hooker. “He knows how to run a lot of different routes.”
Offensive lineman
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Wyatt Lawson: He had visited FIU in June and drew an offer from the Panthers on Nov. 18. He chose FIU over offers from East Tennessee State and Northwestern State.
Defensive lineman
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Jordan Guerad: He got his first offers on Tuesday, from FIU and Conference USA rival UAB.
Defensive lineman
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Travonte O’Neal: He reportedly received an offer from a Power Five school, Arkansas, in March.
Defensive lineman
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Keegan Davis: He didn’t get an offer from FIU until one week ago. Davis, who played primarily tight end at Treasure Coast, said he decommitted from Marshall, another of FIU’s C-USA rivals.
“Being close to home was a huge thing,” Davis said. “Marshall was great to me but getting a chance to play in your home state is great.”
Eight of FIU’s 13 signees play defense, including three each on the line and in the secondary.
Absent in this group is any signee at quarterback, which was FIU’s most troubled position in 2020. FIU has one fewer quarterback than it did last month after the transfer of Stone Norton.
That leaves FIU with three QBs: Kaylan Wiggins, Max Bortenschlager and true freshman Haden Carlson, who did not play this season.
“Quarterback was the position that was devastated the most when we missed spring practice [due to COVID-19],” Butch
Davis said. “Haden did a good job in fall practices, even though he missed a couple of weeks due to contact tracing. Max and Kaylan are returning, but we’re still going to scour the country if we think there’s a quarterback out there who can help us win.”
All 13 signees are from Florida, including six from Dade and Broward.
Perhaps the highestrated player on the list is Carol City running back Katravis Geter.
“He has great vision,” Davis said. “He has the ability to find the crease and also create mismatches in the passing game.” Other news:
Davis said he wanted to ● play FIU’s final game, against Marshall, which was canceled, but the Panthers were down to as few as 42 scholarship players.
The coach said he has changed his recruiting strategy in the past three years, going for versatile defensive backs as opposed to specialists at cornerback or safety.
Davis said he thinks as many as 10 seniors will return next season as the NCAA has granted every player in the country an extra year of eligibility due to COVID.
FIU SIGNEES
RB: Katravis Geter, Carol City, 5-10, 195; WR: Artez Hooker Jr., Lakewood, 5-9, 160; TE: Daniel Pilgrim, North Fort Myers, 6-2, 215; OL: Wyatt Lawson, Durant, 6-3, 290; OL: Kareem Harden, Stranahan, 6-5, 290; DL: Keegan Davis, Treasure Coast, 6-4, 235; DL: Jordan Guerad, Bloomingdale, 6-3, 295; DL: Travonte O’Neal, Vero Beach, 6-3, 240; LB: Gaethan Bernadel, Hallandale, 6-1, 210; LB: A’mahri McCray, Northwestern, 6-0, 210; DB: Jakovi Bryant, Gateway, 5-11, 180; DB: D’Mor Jean-Baptiste, North Miami Beach, 6-0, 172; DB: Demetrius Hill, Miami Springs, 6-2, 190.