Brian Olmo | Editor-in-chief
After three consecutive 4-8 seasons, FIU Athletics is moving in a different direction. The team experienced a mass exodus of players entering the transfer portal and is looking to rebuild completely from scratch.
Here are some of the rumored candidates:
Willie Simons
Simons is the running back coach for Duke and had a very successful tenure with Texas A&M. Multiple championships and bowl games coupled with four straight nine-win seasons arguably give Simons the best-looking record of all the candidates – he is 66-24 as a head coach overall.
He has been successful at nearly all stages of his coaching career and profiles as a solid choice to lead the rebuild.
Frank Ponce
Ponce was a former assistant coach under Head Coach Mario Cristobal from 2007-2012. As the wide receiver coach, he oversaw the development of T.Y. Hilton – one of the Panther’s best all-time players.
The FIU connection is there and before coaching at the collegiate level, Ponce coached at multiple Miami high schools, which can be an asset during recruiting season.
Tim Harris Jr.
Harris was FIU’s former running back coach and offensive coordinator in 2021. When he was with UCF, the team had two strong seasons – 9-4 in 2021 and 9-5 in 2022. In that 9-4 season, UCF beat the Florida Gators in the Gasparilla Bowl.
James Coley
Coley – another FIU alum – revamped the team’s offense under Cristobal as the team’s offensive coordinator.
Under Coley, FIU’s offensive output tripled from 44 points to 137 during the second half of the 2006 season. The team’s ground game and passing game exploded as the team finished with an average of 327.7 yards per game.
Coley is also a highly-touted recruiter and the best on this list. During his time as the recruiting coordinator at FSU, he landed back-to-back Top 10 signing classes and was voted by ESPN as the Atlantic Coast Conference’s top recruiter of the year in 2010.
Some of Coley’s most notable recruits include Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens and Buffalo Bills starting running back James Cook.
Ray Lewis
Yup. You read that right.
The legendary Ravens linebacker has an interest in the vacancy, according to a report by FOX Sports reporter Andy Slater.
Lewis is a highly decorated NFL Hall of Famer, but he has no coaching experience whatsoever.
There’s nothing wrong with rookie head coaches inherently, but it could be a sharp learning curve
That being said, Lewis would easily be the most high-profile hire on this list and possibly ever for FIU. The name value alone could be key to bringing top-level talent to the Panthers and keeping them there.
As of now, no communication between Lewis and FIU has taken place per Baltimore Sun Sports.
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