This week marked the first of 20 fall football camp practices leading up to the FIU Panthers’ Week 1 matchup against the University of South Florida Bulls on Saturday, September 5.
FIU Football: Fall Camp Beings
For head coach Willie Simmons, he finds himself in a different position than last season, with more familiarity and a better grasp of schemes and what the program is about.
“Our install is a lot more in-depth today than it was this time last year,” Simmons said. “ I think the guys have a better grasp of what we’re able to do. We did a great job this summer with our OTAs being able to install about 75-80 percent of our schemes, and we can push through our installation a little bit better.”
As always, the Florida weather is the team’s biggest enemy throughout this time. About seven to eight players had to come out of practice due to cramps. Simmons jokingly said, “The big eye in the sky, one, the Panthers, zero.” Thankfully, this was just practice number one, and as every South Florida native knows, weather is never consistent. One day it may rain, and the next, it’s as sunny as it can possibly be.
“The only way you’re going to get in playing shape is to run fast and do this stuff every single day,” Simmons said. “We got to make sure we start to close that gap and make sure we control the elements because this has to be our strength. When teams come to South Florida, they need to feel what this heat is like. I think we’ve got to do a better job of hydrating, resting and taking care of our bodies.”
One major factor for all college football teams going into 2026 is the elimination of the redshirt season. You no longer need to limit players who have a redshirt season to four games. This new rule gives players five years of eligibility. FIU, not scared to play their freshman, will benefit from this a bit more than other schools.
Last season, we saw freshman safety Jessiah McGrew start right away and finished the season earning All-CUSA Second Team, All-CUSA All-Freshman Team and a spot on the 247Sports Freshman All-American. Tyson Carter and Jackson Verdugo, as freshmen, saw more than 10 games of action.
“Now we can truly say the best guys will play,” Simmons said. “We don’t have to worry about burning a guy’s redshirt because he plays in four games in one snap. We’re going to play the best guys. A lot of these freshmen have shown they can play football. Now it’s how much they adjust to how we do it.”
On the injury front, offensive lineman Miguel Cedeno is still working back from an ACL injury that he underwent surgery for in the offseason. He is ahead of schedule and doing some individual work on the side. “His reps are more mental right now, and thankfully for him, he’s a cerebral player, so we just want to get him back as fully healthy as he can be,” Simmons said.
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