Tuesday, August 7, 2018
By Brett Shweky/Sports Director
The Panthers’ secondary will undergo a complete overhaul this season as all four of their starters from last year graduated from the program.
“The development of the secondary is equally as critical as the development of the quarterback,” said head coach Butch Davis. “They have to get in a lot of situations, seven on sevens, red zone, they have to get in blitz situations. We have to make sure that we bring those players along. I think that we have athletes there. Now it’s a matter of whether or not they can gain the experience and the knowledge to be ready to go in that first game.”
FIU will lean on cornerbacks Isaiah Brown and Emmanuel Lubin to compensate for the inexperience throughout the secondary.
Before suffering an injury in the 2017 campaign, Brown established himself as one of the most talented defensive backs on the team’s roster. As a freshman, he led the defense with seven pass breakups and three interceptions.
The junior out of Tampa, FL recovered well from his injury and is expected to assume the role as the team’s number one cornerback.
Lubin is entering his senior season and may finally be able to get his opportunity to start. During last season, the six-foot-one cornerback appeared in 12 games for the Panthers. However, he finished the 2017 season with 18 total tackles and one pass breakup due to limited playing opportunities.
With Lubin and Brown potentially manning the starting cornerback jobs, the concern turns to the inexperience at the safety position. During the previous season, both Bryce Canady and Niko Gonzalez were game changers at the safety position as they finished as the third and fourth leading tackler on the team a year ago.
The safety competition consists of Tyree Johnson, Olin Cushion III, Richard Dames, Daniel Jackson and Dorian Hall. Johnson and Cushion III appear to be the frontrunners for the position as they have received considerable starting time throughout the first four days of camp.
Both Johnson and Cushion III lack ideal height for the position with them listing at five-foot-ten and five-foot-eight, however, make up for it with good athleticism and sound coverage skills.
With the emergence of younger players, the competition for the starting jobs will most likely remain until the final week of training and possibly into the first couple games of the season.
“It keeps Lubin and me on our game because we have these young guys coming in with a lot of energy, fresh legs, and that has us competing every day,” said Brown on the progress of the younger players in the secondary.”
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