FIU Panthers Prowl

Sandley Jean-Felix to Marshall?

Perhaps FIU's most noted fall commit was Lauderdale Lakes Boyd Anderson offensive tackle Sandley Jean-Felix, rated a high three-star recruit.

But Jean-Felix committed to FIU under the former coaching staff. And the offensive line coach from that staff, Alex Mirabal, is now at Marshall and Jean-Felix visited there recently.

Don't be surprised if this is a verbal commitment that doesn't make it to Wednesday.

Wilkenson Myrtil commits

Orlando Jones Wilkenson Myrtil, who can play running back, safety or linebacker, verbally committed to FIU Saturday. The Orlando Sentinel had Myrtil as a "Lower Level Best Bet" as far as recruiting and theorized that he could be a star running back at a lower level school.

 

Reports: Silas Spearman commits

The recruiting reporters up in Palm Beach say that Seminole Ridge running back Silas Spearman gave his verbal word to FIU at the start of his official visit today.

Spearman ran for 1,258 yards and 12 touchdowns this year. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel named him their Class 8A-6A Player of the Year. Spearman isn't rated by ESPN, Rivals.com or Scout.com. He's 5-10, 190.

Commit list & Several Academic "Uh-oh"s

Sean Avant, WR, Miramar

Jordan Budwig, OL, Davie University School

James Cruise, OL, Palm Beach Gardens

Jeremy Derrick, LB, Hallandale

Chris Flaig, OL, Vero Beach

Jordan Gibbs, LB, Killian

Jordan Guest, LB, Columbus

Xavier Hines, CB, Belen

Sandley Jean-Felix, OT, Lauderdale Lakes Boyd Anderson

Shug Oyegunle, WR, Tampa Gaither

Jonathan Pavlov, TE, North Palm Beach Benjamin

Alphonso Randolph, RB, Ocala West Port

Jonnu Smith, TE, Ocala West Port

Willie Smith, DB, Bradenton Manatee

Vontarius West, CB, Bartow

Treyvon Williams, LB, Norland

BANNED BY BOOKS?

As of right now, one of FIU's most talented offensive skill position players will be academically ineligble for the first four games next season. According to NCAA rules, it'll take passing 27 hours of classes this semester and during the summer sessions for him to regain eligibility. Considering his past academic record that got him in this mess, this is sort of like Nigel Mansell being 28 seconds down to Nelson Piquet with 29 laps to go in the 1987 British Grand Prix, both in Williams-Hondas.

WEDNESDAY MORNING UPDATE: another skill position player FIU hoped to rely is in a similar position. Around seven players, six who have been or are expected to be starters, are in academic trouble. I mentioned this was a possibility in a past blog post.

And, no, I'm not naming names yet. I'm not embarrassing the young men while they still have time to get epiphanies about the opportunities they have.

 

HolyColey.com; on recruiting rankings; Diamond Dinner

FIU's promotion of Jerica Coley, the nation's leading scorer, went online with the launch of http://www.holycoley.com. If you come across the ever-modest Coley and want to watch her blush, mention the website.

The site, designed by FIU media relations Maegan Azpiazu, is one-stop shopping for all things Jerica Coley as FIU tries to get her All-America recognition.

RANKINGS

Recruiting sites and a couple of local recruiting hawks make their living analyzing players they've seen by spending Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at high school football games, talking to coaches and poring over film. No. 1, I haven't spent my Thursday-Saturday nights that way since several current high school coaches were high school players. No. 2, I see highlight films, where everyone looks like the next Jerry Rice or Joe Greene.

I will tell you how these sites have these kids rated or ranked. I'll post their highlight video. If they're from an area known for exceptional talent, I'll note that. But that's it. I'm not giving my own analysis of how good a player is or will be because I don't know the young man as a person and don't know him well enough as a player. Players have gone from walk-on to All-American. Some five-star recruits have never played a down.

And, as I've often said, if the sites that specialize in recruiting analysis were that accurate, Texas and Notre Dame would have more than two national titles in the last 30 years.

BASEBALL & SOFTBALL

FIU baseball and softball's main fundraiser, the Feb. 9 Diamond Dinner at the Graham Center Ballroom, still has tickets available.

Cocktails at 6 p.m. There will be silent and live auctions. This year's special guest speaker will be Milwaukee Brewers manager Ron Roenicke. Cocktails at 6 p.m. For tickets contact the Panther Club at 305-348-4697.

Killian LB Jordan Gibbs makes it 16.

Of FIU's full complement of 25 scholarships, 16 players have put in reservations. Nine left. One will be a quarterback and at least one will be a running back.

Mirabal to Marshall; other Qs get As; another commit

Former FIU coach Mario Cristobal's associate coach, offensive line coach and best friend Alex Mirabal will be coming back to FIU next year...on Marshall's sideline. He'll be their offensive line coach.

Good for him. I liked dealing with him and his players seemed to really like him.

Some people wondered why Ron Turner didn't keep Mirabal around as he could use someone with local ties, having little of his own. That was never going to happen. Mirabal chose Cristobal to be the best man at his wedding -- over his five brothers. That's how tight those two are. After the bad feelings created by Cristobal's firing, there was no way Mirabal would stay at FIU.

As for Signing Day, I think FIU's trying to put something together to be done in the lobby of U.S. Century Bank Arena.

As for my previous post...this is from the FIU Student Host Form from the packet of forms that accompanies each official visit by an athlete:

• You may not entertain the prospective student-athlete by attending a gentleman’s club or providing an opportunity for a sexual encounter (e.g., strip club, escort service, etc.).

There's a few other warnings, policies, etc. that could apply here, but that's the most direct one.

ANOTHER COMMIT

Busy Sunday after a weekend of visits. Slot wide receiver Shug Oyegunle, 5-11, 170 out of Tampa Gaither announced his decommitment from Ball State and commitment to FIU. Saw that coming from, oh, about the distance from my South Beach home to Muncie.

Ball State's got a nice campus and Muncie's an all right town. But if you're FIU and you can't get a Tampa kid you want out of Ball State's clutches, brush up the resume and hope Starbucks is hiring.

That gives FIU 15 commits by my count. Turner said this year he'd have the full complement of 25 scholarrships. And he also said he had no transfer requests pending from last year's players.

At the club...and commits

 

Class, today we're going to cover some basics of college athletics.

1. When in the process of recruiting for a Division I school and the other D1/FBS school in town is under NCAA investigation for improper recruiting practices, among other things, DO NOT TAKE THE RECRUIT TO THE STRIP CLUB!

Show the recruit the strip club. Point out that if he chooses to attend your university, he can visit the strip club. If you're in South Florida, show the recruit the many places where he can see just as many attractive women showing skin and behaving in a flirtatious manner as the strip club, including your own campus. But DO NOT TAKE THE RECRUIT TO THE STRIP CLUB!

The only money you're allowed to spend on the recruit cannot be used in the strip club. Diamond or the Twerk Twins might not care what money you contribute to their hairstylist. The NCAA or the state of Florida might.

2.  Now, we move to Twitter, that wonderful connection of servers that lets everybody let everybody else in on their business.

If you post something on Twitter, it's public. Whatever you write is the equivalent of getting up with a microphone in front of all your followers and saying it. This remains the case even if you have a "private" account with protected tweets. Take, FIU defensive tackle Isame Faciane, @ICEem_down in one of the above tweets. Mr. Faciane has a private account with protected tweets...and 540 followers.

To believe that you'll post something off the chain and one of those 540 folks -- and you know you don't know all of them -- won't e-mail, text, screen grab, whatever to some authority figure or the media indulges in the hopefulness of the losing gamblers who built Las Vegas.

Stay with me as we move to No. 3...

3. IF you choose to violate No. 1 -- which, I understand, goes on many places and I'm not judging you -- then DO NOT go on Twitter and brag about violating rule No. 1, as defensive back Demarkus Perkins did above and in a later Twitter conversation with Mr. Faciane.

The conversation included the two above tweets as well as Mr. Faciane answering Mr. Perkins with "@ICEem_down: @DPerk_15 buddy had this😁 look on his face all might."

Class dismissed. Time for a little Ray...

 

IN OTHER RECRUITING NEWS...

Palm Beach Gardens offensive lineman James Cruise, one of the recruits on an official visit this weekend, committed to FIU today. Cruise, not rated by ESPN, Rivals or Scout, was a Second Team Class 8A-7A All-State player this season.

University School's Jordan Budwig, rated at two stars by ESPN and Rivals, also has committed to FIU after visiting this week.

Rolling & Recruiting

At the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, FIU safety Johnathan Cyprien's been grabbing notice of the NFL Draftniks who hang around such events and do some non-professional professional scouting for their draft intensive sites and publications. But Cyprien's also caught the eyes of enough NFL scouts and executives for them to vote him Outstanding Defensive Back for the week of practices.

The game is Saturday, which is probably why FIU's basketball games in Mobile against South Alabama will be Sunday afernoon at 3:05 and 5:05. The men go in having won seven of their last eight after outlasting Louisiana-Lafayette, 80-75 Thursday night. The women are 10-3 in their last 13 or 4-2 since the schedule became Sun Belt exclusive.

FOOTBALL RECRUITING

Massive 6-0, 295-pound Jason Rae, a center out of Cypress Bay High rated at two stars by Scout.com and Rivals.com said Thursday night he decommitted from FIU because the current coaching staff rescinded the offer made by the previous coaching staff.

"I didn't meet their requirements of what they needed as an offensive lineman," Rae said by phone. "They didn't tell me, they told my coach (Cypress Bay head coach Mike Guandolo)."

This late in the process, that's a surprising move by FIU, which needs offensive linemen in this class. Rae knows it could be tough to find another school he likes to offer him a scholarship. Rae's brother, Jordan Rae, centered the Central Florida line this past season with aplomb.

"Maybe I'll have to walk on to a school and prove myself," he said.

This weekend's visitors include Louisville Trinity quarterback Travis Wright, rated at two stars by Rivals.com and three stars by ESPN.com, and who'll be given a long, hard look by FIU. The school needs quarterbacks. It's not that sophomore E.J. Hilliard won't be up to snuff if (when?) quarterback Jake Meclock's injury sidelines him for a game or two. The Panthers need more depth.

Wright's not committed anywhere. Tampa Gaither High wide receiver Shug Oyegunle, also visiting FIU this weekend, is committed to Ball State. That's in Muncie, Indiana. That's all I'm going to say about that.

 

Roundup of FIU playing trying to play Match.com with 18-year-olds

FIU's women's basketball team got a 64-63 overtime win at Louisiana-Lafayette tonight -- Jerica Coley 34 points -- that contained about as much drama as Signing Day will for FIU football recruiting.

OK, cheap way to shove the women's hoop result in with this recruiting mess, but it's true that you should remember when you read what follows that nobody knows nothin'. Or, if you get up to here with figuring out the maybes, visits, offers, commits, take this attitude until Signing Day: forget it Jake. It's...recruiting.

FIU got a commitment from Third Team All-State 5A Norland linebacker Treyvon Williams Tuesday and have been hot on another Third Team All-State 5A defensive player, Tampa Robinson defensive end Justin Madison, rated at three stars by Scout.com. FIU swung by Madison's school Wednesday.

FIU also dropped by Riviera Beach Suncoast to talk with defensive tackle Ke'Tyrus Marks, 6-2, 280 pounds, rated at two stars by Rivals.com. The Panthers got converted linebacker Davison Colimon from Suncoast last year, but were on Colimon early. And Arkansas likes Marks,too. Recruiting and Mountain Dew consumption are the two areas where Fayetteville usually trumps Miami-Dade.

Up in Kentucky, FIU had an in-home visit with Louisville Trinity quarterback Travis Wright, who'll be visiting here this weekend. Wright's ranked at two stars by Rivals.com, which has him as the No. 19 dual-threat quarterback in the country, and three stars by ESPN.com. FIU needs another viable quarterback, especially after losing Collins Hill (Ga.) Suwanee's Brett Sheridan.

  

Also visiting next weekend will be Palm Beach Gardens wide receiver Frank Brown, a 6-0, 180-pound deep threat who caught 34 passes for 706 yards (20.8 per catch) and four touchdowns for Gardens. Bethune-Cookman's been on Brown for a while, but if FIU can't buffalo Bethune aside, "fall" will describe the next few autumns in more than one way.

As previously posted, Vero Beach offensive lineman Chris Flaig re-committed Wednesday. Another reason FIU coach Ron Turner was at Vero Beach Wednesday was to visit kicker Karson Dietrich. According to FIU athletic director Pete Garcia at Turner's introduction, Turner's staff is supposed to have a dedicated special teams coordinator and that phase of the game will be emphasized. To me, FIU should always have an ace kicker, even if they have to drag one over from the soccer team (yes, you can do both in college -- future Dolphins kicker Pete Stoyanovich kicked for the first two college teams I covered while also being a starter on the No. 1-ranked soccer team.)

 

 

Still the same: Flaig (re)commits, assistant coach Turner

In an answer to quarterback E.J. Hilliard's Twitter call to hear from all who's with FIU, Vero Beach offensive lineman Chris Flaig responded that he'd just committed.

This is a recommitment for the 6-5, 275-pound Flaig, who originally gave his verbal pledge to FIU last July, then reopened his recruiting after Mario Cristobal's firing.

And though he's been in the building since father Ron Turner took the FIU head coaching job, only today was it announced that one of the head coach's sons, Cameron Turner, will be the quarterbacks and wide receivers assistant coach. Turner played those positions at The Citadel, then coached receivers and special teams there in 2010. He's spent the last two seasons as assistant to Minnesota Vikings coach Leslie Frazier, doing off-the-field grunt work and, on game days, keeping Frazier apprised of clock management, timeouts, challenges and rules.

 

Norland LB Treyvon Williams commits to FIU

Williams made his announcement the modern way: via Twitter Tuesday night.

Williams, 5-11, 220, is rated at two stars across the board, was a First Team Independents-5A All-Dade pick by The Herald and had 63 tackles last year.

 

Joey & recruiting stuff

Joey Corey hasn't officially been named director of football operations yet, though he's begun to function in that capacity. Corey's still listed as Director of Athletic Operations on the FIU sports website.

Now, new directors of football operations, being among the support staff who handles the grunt work behind the scenes, aren't always announced. But it's also possible FIU is keeping Corey's position with the football program on the down low until the NCAA whip finishes coming down over in Coral Gables. Convicted ponzi schemer Nevin Shapiro named Corey, a University of Miami assistant equipment manager at the time, as being present and a witness to the alleged fun, fun, funny business between Shapiro and UM players.

RECRUITING

FIU's extended offers to Davie University School offensive lineman Jordan Budwig, a 6-4, 310-pounder rated at two stars by Scout.com, ESPN and Rivals, and to Killian linebacker Jordan Gibbs, 6-2, 210, who wasn't rated by any of the services.

 

 

 

RB Alfonso Randolph commits says fellow FIU commit

Ocala West Port tight end Jonnu Smith, long an FIU commit, announced via Twitter on the way from his official visit that teammate Alfonso Randolph, also has committed to FIU. Randolph, who also made his visit this weekend, confirmed Smith's claim via reTweet.

Smith, 6-3, 196, was the Ocala Star-Banner's First Team All-County tight end after catching 34 passes for 517 yards and two touchdowns. Randolph, 5-11, 185,was a second team All-County running back with 671 rushing yards and averaging 7.8 per carry. Neither is rated by ESPN or Scout.com.

Chandler Burkett swings from FIU to Maryland

Panama City Bozeman Defensive end Chandler Burkett has swung his commitment from FIU to Maryland, according to David Jenkins, president of Bozeman Football Booster Club and a coach at Bozeman.

The rangy 6-4 Burkett, a July commit to FIU, is rated at two stars by Rivals and three stars by Scout, which had him as the No. 78 defensive end in the nation.

Soccer signings; football staff turnover

FIU men's soccer officially signed Boca Raton High midfielder Nico Midttun, who played club soccer with Weston FC, and German backliner Marvin Hezel this weekend.

Midttun committed to FIU last summer. A four-time All-State selection at Boca, he also played in his native Ecuador during summers and spent last summer there playing for a professional club team on a tryout basis.

Hezel comes out of the SC Frieburg academy and might be a replacement for graduating stellar defender Anthony Hobbs.

FOOTBALL

FIU hosted several official visits this weekend, including Belen defensive back Xavier Hines. New head coach Ron Turner's reached out to tight end commits Jonathan Pavlov from North Palm Beach Benjamin and Ocala West Port's Jonnu Smith.

Meanwhile,  only special teams coordinator/secondary coach Jeff Popovich and running backs coach Apollo Wright remain from Mario Cristobal's staff. Outside linebackers coach Juan Navarro, defensive line coach Cedric Calhoun and tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator Dennis Smith have been jettisoned.

Goings and Comings

As the FIU football staff turns...

Sacked (so far): Tim Cramsey, offensive coordinator; Todd Orlando, defensive coordinator; Alex Mirabal, assistant head coach, offensive line; Frank Ponce, wide receivers; and Dan Hernandez, graduate assistant, offense. Edwin Pierre-Pata, graduate assistant, defense, had used up his graduate assistant eligibility.

And most of the support staff: Juan Lozano, director of football operations; Phil Ockinga, director of player personnel; Shawn Burns, director of football relations.

Still on staff (as of right now): Recruiting coordinator Dennis Smith; Jeff Popovich, special teams and secondary; Apollo Wright, running backs; Cedric Calhoun, defensive line; Juan Navarro, linebackers, defensive line; Chris Harzinski, graduate assistant, offense; Matt Garris, graduate assistant, defense.

Mike Salemi, equipment manager and facilities coordinator, is still on the job.

New guys: Illinois offensive line coach Luke Butkus (former Illini player during Ron Turner's time there as head coach and, yes, nephew of Dick) will be offensive line coach and run game coordinator. Turner's son, former Minnesota Vikings assistant Cameron, has been in the building. Coming down to be a graduate assistant is former Miami University graduate assistant Mike Hiestand, son of Notre Dame offensive line coach Harry Hiestand, Turner's offensive line coach at Illinois and on Lovie Smith's Bears staff with Turner.

Now, this isn't to say further changes in staff aren't coming or that those remaining from the past staff are safe. Mirabal was told he was terminated, officially, the same day Butkus was hired. So, of the past staff that remains, some might be just be keeping the office warm.

Butkus said he hasn't seen much of FIU on film, but has talked to Turner and said, "I see we've lost a few guys. But that's college football. You can sit there and pout about it. Or, you can roll up your sleeves and go to work. You asked if there's a certain height or weight I like linemen to be. No. If they come to work, roll up their sleeves, it's still a blue collar game."

Butkus actually knows South Florida a bit. He spent a lot of time here during his youth visiting relatives in North Miami who operate Miami Divers, a boat cleaning business. He's been an offensive line coach with Chicago and Seattle in the NFL before doing that job last season for Illinois.

 

Tuesday Afternoon...

Tomorrow's story on the basketball team, in case you don't feel like taking the paper out of the plastic...

http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/08/3173733/so-far-fiu-panthers-basketball.html

Meanwhile, the head football coach's office at The Fieldhouse got Ron Turner and a new coat of paint over the last few days. Also, some offices got emptied as assistants, graduate assistants and support staff were being sent on their way during a rainy afternoon (which always reminds me of the song in the headline. 

Todd Orlando's allegedly up for the defensive coordinator job at Pitt. Let that irony sink in for a bit...

Vero Beach offensive lineman Chris Flaig, a former FIU commit, Tweeted last night that he's reopening the recruiting process and is taking an official visit to FAU. Flaig's rated at three stars by ESPN, two stars by Scout.com. Other reports have Jacksonville Sandalwood offensive lineman Donald Rocker doing the same.

Now, let's see if FIU can hold on to Boyd Anderson offensive lineman Sandley Jean-Felix, rated at three stars by ESPN and Scout.com, or Belen defensive back Xavier Hines, rated at two stars by Scout.com.

 

Turn on the Telly? Ring Bell?

New FIU football coach Ron Turner's not stupid. He knows current recruits were still in their action figure stage the last time he sat in a recruit's home to close the deal. He knows he doesn't have much of a reputation in South Florida among high school coaches.

That's why Turner said to me Thursday night he knows his staff has to include some "guys with Florida connections, guys high school coaches can trust." He also said he wants a diverse staff in every way.

Among the calls from Dade and Broward Turner's probably getting as I'm writing this, he should probably check for a couple of numbers. One belongs to Central High coach and Northwestern High graudate Telly Lockette. Lockette's Rockets just won their second state title in three years, have three consecutive state title game appearances and would've had four but for a semifinal loss to eventual state champion Miramar in 2009.

Granted, Lockette's working with an overabundance of talent at Central and he wouldn't have the same talent advantage at FIU. But he'll be able to help recruit that talent as well as anyone.

The same could be said for Corey Bell, an Edison High and South Carolina defensive back who coached at his high school alma mater for 10 years before going to the University of Miami as part of Randy Shannon's staff. Bell's at American High now.

Does FIU have Hope?

For two days, I've heard former Purdue coach Danny Hope was all but officially on board at FIU. But on Dec. 31 another source said that definitely wasn't true and another well-placed Camp Mitch source insisted FIU hasn't even talked to Hope. Both sources reiterated that to me today.

And one of my most trusted sources, never wrong before, tells me Hope was spotted on campus last weekend with President Mark Rosenberg.

None of the current coaching staff, still technically employed by FIU, has been contacted by any prospect coming in about staying at FIU.

As far as recruiting, Thursday is the last day of the Dead Period (no coach-initiated contact allowed) and Friday starts a three-day Quiet Period (recruit-coach contact must take place on campus). Monday starts a three-day dead period before full bore recruiting Jan. 11-Feb. 3, another Quiet Period day. Feb. 4-7 is a Dead Period, although the fax machines can start whirring on Feb. 6, National Signing Day. Player or parent-initiated phone calls or letters or e-mails are permitted.

Here's something to think about: former Dolphins interim coach Todd Bowles, who wound up in Philadelphia this year on the staff for now-fired Andy Reid, interviewed for the job at his alma mater, Temple. An obvious interest in returning to college coaching -- Bowles was defensive coordinator at Morehouse and Grambling -- a past association with athletic director Pete Garcia as assistant coach with Cleveland when Garcia was there with Butch Davis, a familiarity with South Florida and heading into a third consecutive offseason of uncertainty...just a thought.