Last year was a breakthrough season of sorts for FIU.
The Panthers ended a string of six consecutive losing seasons, going 7-6 and earning their first bowl berth since 2019. FIU isn’t considered to be one of the contenders in Conference USA, but it’s a team that can’t be discounted. Second-year coach Willie Simmons is looking for the Panthers to take that next step.
FIU Season Preview
The Panthers aren’t rebuilding, but they will have plenty of new contributors with just two returning starters on offense and three on defense.
Key Players To Replace
- Quarterback Keyone Jenkins, who threw for 1,732 yards and nine touchdowns, has transferred to UCF.
- Joe Pesansky, who appeared in nine games while starting four at quarterback, has graduated. He threw for 1,021 yards and 11 touchdowns.
- Running back Kejon Owens, the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year, has used up his eligibility. He rushed for 1,334 yards and 11 touchdowns. Owens signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted rookie free agent.
- Julius Pierce, a second-team All-CUSA selection, was among four offensive linemen who must be replaced. He played 34 career games for FIU and started all 13 during his final season in 2025.
- Leading receiver Alex Perry, who had 56 receptions for 840 yards and nine touchdowns in earning first-team All-CUSA honors, transferred to Illinois.
- Defensive back Mister Clark, a first-team All-CUSA selection who had three interceptions and 13 pass breakups, transferred to Purdue.
- Linebacker Johnny Chaney Jr., a first-team All-CUSA choice who had 108 tackles, used up his eligibility.
The Quarterback Situation
Much of the optimism for FIU stems from the addition of quarterback JJ Kohl, who is playing for his third team in three seasons. Kohl spent his first two years at Iowa State before moving last season to Appalachian State. In 2025, Kohl appeared in eight games, making six starts for Appalachian State. He completed 133 of 216 passes for 1,465 yards and 12 touchdowns with two interceptions. At 6-foot-7 and 250 pounds, Kohl is among the biggest FBS quarterbacks.
Key Returning Players
- Defensive end Kenton Simmons was a second-team All-CUSA choice after recording eight tackles for loss, including six sacks.
- Safety Shamir Sterlin recorded 65 tackles during his redshirt freshman season.
- Defensive end Dante Anderson had five tackles for loss, including three sacks, and led the Panthers with three forced fumbles.
- Cornerback Jai-Ayviauynn Celestine appeared in all 13 games with four starts. He had 19 tackles, three pass breakups and one interception.
- Linebacker Josiah Taylor appeared in all 13 games with 10 starts. He had 76 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.
- Safety Demetrius Hill recorded 19 tackles.
- Kyle McNeal was last season’s second-leading receiver with 31 receptions for 310 yards and one touchdown.
- Jojo Stone had 23 receptions for 272 yards and two touchdowns.
- Running back Anthony Carrie rushed for 465 yards and five touchdowns.
- Right guard Antonio Tripp Jr. is the lone returning full-time starter on the offensive line.
- Right tackle Miguel Cedeno appeared in all 13 games and was a starter in the final three.
Key Newcomers
- Receiver Greg Gaines III was a second-team All-Coastal Athletic Association selection at Rhode Island. He had 65 receptions for 1,018 yards and four touchdowns.
- Cornerback DeAndre Boykins appeared in two games last year for Oklahoma State but is expected to be a key member of the secondary.
- Fellow corner Lawrence Johnson is a transfer from Florida Atlantic, where he had 10 tackles in eight games, and also is expected to be a contributor.
- Center Daveion Harley played 25 games in two seasons at Jacksonville State and didn’t appear in a game last year at California. He’s expected to be a key offensive lineman.
FIU’s 2026 Schedule
- 9/5 at South Florida
- 9/12 vs. Buffalo
- 9/19 at FAU
- 9/26 vs. Long Island
- 10/7 vs. New Mexico State
- 10/13 at Jacksonville State
- 10/20 vs. Middle Tennessee
- 10/31 at Liberty
- 11/7 vs. Missouri State
- 11/14 at Delaware
- 11/21 at Kennesaw State
- 11/28 vs. Sam Houston
Bold indicates CUSA contests
FIU’s Conference USA Title Betting Odds
FIU’s college football betting odds to win the conference are +1100, via BetMGM. Those are the sixth-best odds among Conference USA teams.
FIU’s Betting Odds & Over/Under Win Total
- FIU’s win total Over/Under is 6.5
- The Under is at -155
- The Over is at +120
FIU Season Prediction
I predict FIU will go under 6.5 wins but will be bowl-eligible at 6-6.
While they don’t play a team like Penn State this season (after losing to the Nittany Lions 34-0 last year), the non-league schedule has some potential road bumps, especially opening at South Florida and visiting FAU, two American Conference teams.
If FIU goes 2-2 in the non-conference slate, then the Panthers would need to go 4-4 in the CUSA schedule to reach six wins. What is difficult is the fact that FIU faces four of the top frontrunners in CUSA on the road – Liberty, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State and Delaware. That’s not to say that FIU can’t beat those teams, but there is also the chance that other teams could pull off an upset or two against FIU.
The margin for error is thin to get to seven wins.
