FIU’s new RB may bring almost perfect skill set
Freshman running back Devonte Lyons, who is set to arrive at FIU in June, doesn’t have elite speed.
Even his coach at St. Augustine High, Brian Braddock, will yield on that matter.
“But a lot of kids can run fast, and they get contact, and they get tackled,” Braddock said. “Other than elite straight-line speed, Devonte has everything else. He has cutting ability, vision, contact balance, explosiveness and quick acceleration from zero to top speed.
“Devonte is a natural running back to the core. When a normal kid gets three yards, Devonte gets nine because of things you can’t teach.”
Lyons, who is 5-10 and 190 pounds, should eventually get up to 210 or 215, according to Braddock.
As a freshman at St. Augustine, Lyons started the year on junior varsity.
But, by the middle of the season, Lyons was called up to the varsity, where he became the main backup on a team that reached the Class 6A state semifinals, losing 49-48 to Lake Minneola in a triple-overtime classic.
Lyons became a starter as a sophomore. In his second career start, he posted more than 200 all-purpose yards against a Jacksonville Bolles team that had several Division I prospects on defense. Bolles won that game 32-27.
“It was pretty obvious,” Braddock said, “that we had a special player.”
Lyons became a 1,000yard runner as a junior, and, as a senior, he rushed for 1,558 yards and 27 touchdowns. For his career, Lyons rushed for 3,857 yards, a 7.3 average and 57 touchdowns.
Braddock said Lyons has “receiver hands” even though he didn’t catch many passes because of the structure of the St. Augustine offense.
As a blocker, Lyons is ahead of most incoming freshman running backs.
“We did a ton of six-onseven pass protection,” Braddock said, “and Devonte was a big part of that.”
Lyons, who said he has a 2.6 grade-point average and plans to study sports medicine, was a late addition to FIU’s class as he committed Dec. 18 — just two days before he signed.
“FIU showed me a lot of love — more than a lot of love,” Lyons said. “I loved everything about the program — it’s not just one thing.”
THIS AND THAT
Outside linebacker Eddie Walls III, a transfer from Bethune-Cookman and another member of FIU’s 2024 recruiting class, loves to work on cars. The son of an auto mechanic, Walls makes extra money repairing cars. But his favorite vehicle to tinker with is his 2005 Mustang convertible.
Middle linebacker Josiah Taylor, an incoming freshman for FIU, started 48 games at Sebring High. In fact, he never missed a game in high school, avoiding serious injury and breaking his school’s career and single-season tackle records. “Josiah was hungry,” Sebring coach LaVaar Scott said. “He always wanted to prove that he could break records and that he could become a Division I prospect. Those things fueled him.”