Kevin Calcagno / Staff Writer
The FIU football program isn’t always in the spotlight, but some of their alumni have recently made a huge splash on the professional level.
The most notable Panther Alumni currently in the NFL is wide receiver T.Y. Hilton. In 2012, Hilton left FIU for the National Football League as the Panthers’ all time leader in receptions and receiving yards.
Hilton played 50 games during his time at FIU since his freshman year of 2008. He has recorded 3531 receiving yards and scored 24 touchdowns off of 229 catches.
He was able to break 1000 receiving yards in his freshman year alone, and is the first Panther to go over 5000 all-purpose yards. He also rushed for 498 yards off of 69 carries, scoring another seven touchdowns in the process.
For his efforts, he was named the Freshman of the Year in the Sun Belt Conference in 2008, and was part of the First Team All-Sun Belt Conference list in his junior year. He was also MVP of FIU’s victory in the Little Caesars Bowl, racking up 210 all-purpose yards.
Hilton was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts as the 92nd overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. Since then, he has been selected to the NFL Pro Bowl four times and has made the playoffs five times. Hilton and the Colts made it to the AFC Championship game in 2014, but were defeated by the New England Patriots.
Hilton bounced back in the 2020 season after recording a career low in yardage the previous year, as well as missing six games due to a torn calf muscle. He was able to register 56 catches for 762 yards, only missing one game and became a free agent for the first time in his career.
Hilton’s contributions were enough to earn him a one-year, $10 million contract from the Indianapolis Colts as he returns to the team for his 10th season.
The most recent notable FIU alumni in the NFL is New England Patriots tight end Jonnu Smith. Smith was the 100th player selected in the 2017 NFL draft by the Tennessee Titans. He broke out with his talents in the position for the Titans, and hopes to make a new home for himself in Foxborough.
Smith still holds the FIU record for touchdown catches in a season, recording eight in 2014. He also holds the record for touchdown catches in a game, which was earned in 2014 when Smith caught three touchdown passes against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders.
In his career at FIU dating back to 2013, Smith played 43 games and recorded 2001 yards off of 178 catches, and 18 touchdowns as a tight end. He averaged 46.5 yards per game as well as 11.2 yards per catch.
In his sophomore season, he was First-Team All Conference USA, and Second-Team in his senior season. He is the leading tight end in receptions and receiving yards in FIU history.
Despite being overlooked upon entering the NFL, Smith has established himself as one of the best players at his position. He has gone to the playoffs three times in his career, even making it to the AFC Championship Game in 2019, where his team was defeated by the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Smith appeared in 12 games for the Titans in 2020, registering 358 yards and seven touchdowns with his longest catch of the season going for 63 yards. His touchdown production in the relatively small amount of games he played was enough for him to be regarded by many as one of the top playmakers at his position.
Smith became a free agent at the end of the year, and he was ultimately signed by the New England Patriots to a four-year, $50 million contract, becoming the third highest paid tight end in the NFL.
One former FIU player who is on an active roster is quarterback James Morgan, who was drafted in 2018 by the New York Jets, and has played backup to their former starting quarterback Sam Darnold, who was recently traded to the Carolina Panthers.
With no experience playing a regular-season game, Morgan is still making a name for himself as he’ll try to compete for the starting position against the Jets most recent pickup in the 2021 NFL Draft, quarterback Zach Wilson from the Brigham-Young Cougars.
Another FIU alumni on an active roster is cornerback Stantley Thomas-Oliver III, who was drafted in 2020 by the Carolina Panthers. He’s played ten games so far in his career with Carolina and will look to have a breakout year in 2021.
FIU has produced some top-level talent throughout the years, despite being one of the younger football programs in the nation, but with Hilton and Smith being some of the brightest FIU Sports Alumni ever, it can certainly help put them in the national spotlight.
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