FIU 2012 Recruiting

2012 Florida International Golden Panthers ... Head Coach: Mario Cristobal

FIU Golden Panthers

2011 Record: 8-5

Sep. 1 North Texas W 41-16
Sep. 9 at Louisville  W 24-17
Sep. 17 UCF W 17-10
Sep. 24 Louisiana L 36-31
Oct. 1 Duke L 31-27
Oct. 8 at Akron W 27-17
Oct. 15 OPEN DATE
Oct. 18 at Arkansas St L 34-16
Oct. 25 Troy W 23-20 OT
Nov. 5 at WKU L 10-9
Nov. 12 Florida Atlantic W 41-7
Nov. 19 at ULM W 28-17
Nov. 26 at Middle Tenn. W 31-18
Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg
Dec. 20 Marshall L 20-10

2010 CFN Prediction: 3-9
2010 Record: 7-6

Sept. 4 OPEN DATE
Sept. 11 Rutgers L 19-14
Sept. 18 at Texas A&M L 27-20
Sept. 25 at Maryland L 42-28
Oct. 2 at Pitt L 44-17
Oct. 9 WKU W 28-21
Oct. 16 at North Texas W 34-10
Oct. 23 OPEN DATE
Oct. 30 at Fla Atlantic L 21-9
Nov. 6 ULM W 42-35 2OT
Nov. 13 at Troy W 52-35
Nov. 20 at Louisiana W 38-17
Nov. 27 Arkansas St W 31-24
Dec. 4 MTSU L 28-27
LITTLE CAESARS BOWL
Dec. 26 Toledo 34-32
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The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 FIU Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. DT Darrian Dyson
6-3, 300, Scout.com 68th ranked, three-star defensive tackle.

2. WR DeAndre Jasper
5-9, 180, Scout.com 137th ranked, three-star receiver.

3. DE Byran Attaway
6-4, 240, Scout.com 131st ranked, three-star defensive end.

4. OT Delmar Taylor
6-4, 285, Scout.com two-star JUCO transfer.

5. QB E.J. Hilliard
6-2, 170, Scout.com 119th ranked, two-star quarterback.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... Receivers. Everything should be fine for this year, even with T.Y. Hilton gone, but the Golden Panthers need offensive pop after mostly focusing on the defensive side for the last few seasons. This class will be loaded with receiver options, but the defense isn’t going to be ignored with outside linebacker getting plenty of new bodies.

Team Concerns For 2012: Offensive stars. QB Wesley Carroll split time and Jake Medlock is ready, but the attack needs more big plays from somewhere with Hilton gone and Darriet Perry needing to be replaced at running back. The defense gets EVERYONE back, with years of loading up with prospects about to pay off.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: After a second straight excellent season, can Mario Cristobal keep the production going? With four starters back on one of the Sun Belt’s best offensive lines, the foundation is there for a running game that should be excellent with Kedrick Rhodes and Jeremiah Harden pounding away. Jake Medlock is ready to take over the starting quarterback job full time, and he has a nice receiving corps to work with. However, playmaker T.Y. Hilton is done meaning the O has to find explosion from somewhere. The league’s best scoring defense gets everyone back. Everyone. All 11 starters return to a D that was 30th in the nation in yards allowed and 14th in scoring defense.

The 2011 Class Was Heavy On … Defense. How did Mario Cristobal capitalize on the best season in FIU history? He brought in a big, solid class with two interesting quarterback prospects in Loranzo Hammonds and Dylan Warner, several receivers, and a great-looking guard in Derrick Thorpe. The D got the stars, though, with Lyndon Edwards and Demetrius Allen two safety-sized linebackers who could be terrific after hitting the weights. Corners Corey Tindal and T.J. Lowder might not be huge, but they can move. JUCO transfers Jordan Hunt at linebacker and Tevin Blanchard at safety will play right away.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 89. That Class Was Heavy On ... Willis Wright. In a major "huh?" moment, Wright, a very strong, very fast safety prospect who could become a whale of a wide receiver or two-way player, signed with FIU despite receiving offers from Auburn, Miami, Ole Miss, Nebraska, and several other BCS schools. He's the star of a really nice group of defensive players brought in with a special emphasis on the defensive front. Seven defensive linemen were signed including Jordan White, a 320-pound tackle.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 98. That Class Was Heavy On ... Defensive back. This was a decent class all the way around, but the major focus was on stopping the pass with some good defensive ends in Joshua Forney and Thatcher Starling, and several defensive backs with decent speed, and surprisingly, a lot of size. Terrance Taylor was a nice pickup at safety while Wayne Times is a good-looking corner prospect.

Dec. 20 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl
Marshall 20 … Florida International 10
- CFN Thoughts on the Game

Marshall: The Herd only averaged 2.8 yards per carry and committed eight penalties. … QB Rakeem Cato completed 27-of-39 passes for 226 yards and two scores with a pick … Tron Martinez ran 16 times for 58 yards. … Aaron Dobson caught seven passes for 81 yards and two scores including the catch that sealed the win. … LB Tyson Gale led the team with ten tackles, a sack, and 2.5 tackles for loss.

Florida International: FIU only gained 251 yards of total offense. … Wesley Carroll completed 19-of-29 passes for 150 yards, while Jake Medlock filled in a bit and completed 1-of-3 passes for 13 yards. … Darriet Perry ran nine times for 36 yards. … T.Y. Hilton caught eight passes for 88 yards and ran three times for 23 yards and a score, but he lost a key fumble and didn’t come up with a punt return. … LB Jordan Hunt led the team with 13 tackles, a sack, and two tackles for loss.

(AP) ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Rakeem Cato threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns and Tyler Warner kicked a pair of field goals, helping Marshall beat Florida International 20-10 in the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl on Tuesday night.

Cato threw TD passes of 31 and 35 yards to Aaron Dobson, the latter putting the game away in the closing seconds. Warner's 39-yard field goal set up by a blocked punt snapped a 10-10 with 5:16 remaining.

Marshall (7-6) overcame a slow start to win five of its last seven games and avoid a losing record in its second season under coach Doc Holliday.

FIU (8-5) was denied a school-record ninth victory and there was speculation that coach Mario Cristobal may be a leading candidate to fill a job opening at Pittsburgh.

Cato, a freshman from Miami who is one of 28 players on Marshall's roster recruited from the state of Florida, completed 27 of 39 passes and was intercepted once. Dobson had seven receptions for 81 yards, including a TD catch that wiped out a 10-3 FIU lead just before halftime.

All-purpose threat T.Y. Hilton scored on a 2-yard run for FIU, which also got a 46-yard field goal from Jack Griffin. Hilton had eight catches for 88 yards, ran for 22 yards on three carries and returned two kickoffs for 36 yards, but quarterback Wesley Carroll had difficulty getting the ball to him in open space in the second half.

Carroll was 19 of 29 passing for 150 yards.

Marshall struggled early against a tough schedule, losing in September to West Virginia, Ohio and Virginia Tech before regrouping late win four of six down the stretch to become bowl eligible and finish second behind Southern Mississippi in the Conference USA East Division standings.

FIU is a relative newcomer to the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Panthers launched their program in 2002, joined the Sun Belt Conference in 2005 and has made steady progress in five seasons under Cristobal, who led the school to its first Sun Belt championship a year ago.

Hilton has been a big part of that success, setting FIU and Sun Belt records for career receiving and all-purpose yards. The senior from Miami caught a TD pass and scored on an 89-yard kickoff return to help the Panthers beat Toledo in last year's Little Caesars Bowl, and FIU showcased his versatility early against Marshall.

The 5-foot-10, 185-pound receiver took a handoff on FIU's first play from scrimmage and ran for 20 yards before fumbling 5 yards backward. He had a 17-yard reception on the next play, then later in the opening quarter gained 14 yards on a catch-and-run to the Marshall 2.

Hilton scored his first rushing touchdown of the season on the next play, giving the Panthers a 7-3 lead.

Marshall answered Jack Griffin's 46-yard field goal that put FIU up 10-3 with a six-play, 55-yard drive that Cato finished with his 31-yard TD pass to Aaron Dobson to make it 10-10 with 23 seconds left in the first half.

Neither team was able to generate much offense in the third and fourth quarters. Zach Dunston blocked a punt to set up Warner's go-ahead field goal, and Cato began the clinching drive from his own 40 after FIU fumbled.

Oct. 25 at FIU 23 … Troy 20 OT

CFN Analysis: FIU kept screwing up to keep Troy in the game, hurt mostly by a 14-point spurt late in the third quarter, but the defense put the clamps down allowing just 299 yards and shutting down the horrendous Trojan ground game. Wesley Carroll was good, throwing for 285 yards and two scores, but Kedrick Rhodes was better carrying the mail 30 times for 172 yards. However, the four turnovers were a problem and if almost cost the Golden Panthers a dominant performance. The Sun Belt title is still out of reach at the moment, but if the team plays like this, without the turnovers, FIU will win out.   

Oct. 18 at Arkansas State 34 … FIU 16
CFN Analysis: FIU made too many mistakes and collapsed late in a nip-and-tuck game. The offensive line couldn’t handle the Arkansas State pass rush in spots and the running game never got working well enough to balance out the attack. The defense couldn’t keep Ryan Aplin from taking off for big run after big run, and in the fourth quarter when it was time to try and take over, the offense couldn’t move the ball. Now at 4-3 overall and losers in three of the last four games, the Sun Belt dream is over, there’s still time to go bowling if the defense can get back to its early season form and if the mistakes stop. The 11 penalties and two turnovers were a big problem in the collapse. 

Oct. 8 FIU 27 … at Akron 17
CFN Analysis: It should’ve been an easier win. Wesley Carroll had a great day throwing the ball, with 308 yards and connecting with T.Y. Hilton 12 times for 144 yards, but it was still too much of a fight to put the game away. The offense cranked out 524 yards, Kedric Rhodes ran wild, and the team controlled the ball and the clock. The ten penalties were bad, but they weren’t that big a deal. When the offense puts up yards like this, the points need to flow. Instead, it took a full four quarters to put away a miserable Akron team with only a three point lead late in the third. With Arkansas State up next, the defense has to find its nastiness again in the red zone, and the offense has to turn yards into points. 
 
Oct. 1 Duke 31 … at FIU 27
CFN Analysis: FIU should be 5-0. It gagged away the loss to Louisiana two weeks ago, and it couldn’t hold on late to stop Duke in a demoralizing fourth quarter collapse. Wesley Carroll had one of his best games as a Golden Panther, completing 25-of-39 throws for 348 yards and three touchdowns, and T.Y. Hilton appeared to be back to normal with five catches for 102 yards and a 63-yard score, but when the defense needed a late hold, it couldn’t get it. It’ll be critical to come up with a blowout win over Akron next week before diving back into Sun Belt play against Arkansas State, and the secondary has to come up with a good outing after a rough few weeks.   

Sept. 24 Louisiana 36 … at FIU 31
CFN Analysis: Just when it seemed like everything was rolling, the defense came up with a puzzling clunker at home. A banged up T.Y. Hilton couldn’t explode like he needed to, but Kedrick Rhodes picked up the slack with 157 yards and three scores on the ground, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the production from the balanced ULL offense. Beating Duke next week would be nice to get the confidence back, and thumping Akron on the road should be a given, but it all comes down to beating Arkansas State and Troy over the next two Sun Belt games to get back in the conference title chase.  

Sept. 17 at FIU 17 … UCF 10
CFN Analysis: This was a gut check win for a team that’s not used to winning a whole bunch of games. The offense struggled and sputtered, but the defense came up with a whale of a performance led by Isame Faciane’s fumble return for a score and a tremendous game from Winston Fraser, who came up with ten tackles and two sacks as part of a tremendous pass rush. T.Y. Hilton wasn’t right with a hamstring injury, but he still tried to give it a go. It didn’t work, and Wayne Times picked up the slack with six catches for 63 yards. Now it’s time to really get excited; this was the toughest game left on the schedule. If the Golden Panthers can beat Duke and be done with the non-Sun Belt games unbeaten, the sky’s the limit.  

Sept. 9  FIU 24 … at Louisville 17
CFN Analysis: The offense might not have worked all that well outside of two big plays from T.Y. Hilton, and the running game went absolutely nowhere, but with defense and home runs, FIU came up with its first win over a BCS team. It doesn’t matter how it happened; this is a Sun Belt team beating an FBS squad, and it was a huge moment for Mario Cristobal’s program. While the team came up with the win, and the defense was tremendous, highlighted by the Winston Fraser 71-yard pick six in the first quarter, this was Hilton’s day with seven catches for 201 yards and scoring grabs from 74 and 83 yards away. While UCF might not be an FBS team, if FIU can win next week’s battle, then it’s Game On for a truly special season with the two tough remaining game – Duke and Troy – at home.  i

Sept. 1 at FIU 41 … North Texas 16
CFN Analysis: This was the defending Sun Belt champions making a statement. FIU was supposed to have a solid defense, and it did a great job keying on the North Texas ground game and applying the pressure all game long, but this game was about a near-perfect performance from the offense. Wesley Carroll was magnificent, completing 16-of-22 passes, while the combination of Darriet Perry and Kedrick Rhodes dominated on the ground. T.Y. Hilton was T.Y. Hilton with seven catches for 132 yards and a score, and 49 rushing yards, and UNT didn’t have any answers. This was a statement game, and after this, Louisville should have a fight on its hands next week. 

2011 Recruiting Class

The 2011 Class Is Heavy On … Defense. How did Mario Cristobal capitalize on the best season in FIU history? He brought in a big, solid class with two interesting quarterback prospects in Loranzo Hammonds and Dylan Warner, several receivers, and a great-looking guard in Derrick Thorpe. The D got the stars, though, with Lyndon Edwards and Demetrius Allen two safety-sized linebackers who could be terrific after hitting the weights. Corners Corey Tindal and T.J. Lowder might not be huge, but they can move. JUCO transfers Jordan Hunt at linebacker and Tevin Blanchard at safety will play right away.

Five Florida International Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. OG Derrick Thorpe
6-4, 260, Scout.com’s 55th ranked guard.

2. LB Lyndon Edwards
6-1, 190, Scout.com’s 132nd ranked outside linebacker

3. S Luis Rosado
6-2, 195, Scout.com’s 174th ranked safety

4. TE Ya’Keem Griner
6-4, 220, Scout.com’s 104th ranked tight end

5. RB Shane Coleman
5-8, 180, Scout.com’s 182nd ranked running back

2011 Entire Recruiting Class

Tevin Blanchard CB Itawamba CC
Lyndon Edwards S Miami Northwestern HS/Miami, FL
Giovani Francois DE Wise HS/Upper Marlboro, MD
Ya'Keem Griner TE Bradford HS/Starke, FL
Loranzo Hammonds QB North Augusta HS/North Augusta, SC
Cody Horstman DL Vero Beach HS/Vero Beach, FL
Jordan Hunt LB Co-Lin CC
Lars Koht DL Vero Beach HS/Vero Beach, FL
Richard Leonard CB Killian HS/Miami,
TJ Lowder WR/DB Bay HS/Panama City, FL
Max Martial DT Palm Beach Central HS/Wellington FL
Prince Matt OL Manatee HS/Bradenton, FL
Elijah Maxey LB/S Raines HS/Jacksonville, FL
Aaron Nielsen DE/TE Freedom HS/Orlando, FL
Denzell Perine DE Davidson HS/Mobile, AL
Kenneth Proctor S West Jefferson HS/Harvey, LA
Richard Reay OL Robinson HS/Tampa, FL
Dominique Rhymes WR Miami Northwestern HS/Miami, FL
Luis Rosado LB Gainesville HS/Gainesville, FL
Clinton Taylor WR Miami Northwestern HS/Miami, FL
Derrick Thorpe DL Fletcher HS/Neptune Beach, FL
Corey Tindal RB/DB/ATH Boyd Anderson HS/Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Ezekiel Turner WR Atlantic Community HS/Delray Beach
Cedric Walker RB Gulliver Prep/Miami, FL