Within the past two weeks, FIU football head coach Willie Simmons and his staff have continued to receive commitments from players in the 2027 class. At the moment, the class stands at 11 total commitments, per 247Sports. And currently, the Panthers’ class is ranked 89th in the country.
FIU Football: Where Does the 2027 Class Stand?
Offense
The top commitment for the FIU Panthers is quarterback Zac Katz, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound quarterback from True North Classical Academy. He is coming off a season where he completed 178 passes for 2,448 yards, 25 touchdowns, and three interceptions. He is the only quarterback committed in the 2027 class. Katz is coming off a strong performance at the Miami 7-on-7 camp and his official visit with FIU.
Despite being committed to FIU, Katz holds 14 total offers. Those include Miami, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Louisville, Purdue, SMU, and American Conference powerhouse USF. Katz has reaffirmed his commitment to FIU multiple times, and it’s just about him signing pen to paper on national signing day.
Keeping it on offense, running back Dorien Jones, a product of Venice High School who stands at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, committed to FIU over six power conference schools. In 10 games last season, Jones ran for 1,040 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, with over 100 yards in half of his games. Overall, the standout running back averaged 8.2 yards per carry in 2025. Jones, at the moment, is the lone running back commit of the class.
At wide receiver, the lone commitment so far is Jarvaris Reed, a 5-foot-9, 170-pound product from McEachern High School. In the 2025-26 season, Reed hauled in 36 receptions for 627 yards and five touchdowns. Reed also holds offers from Florida, Southern Miss, Florida Atlantic, Old Dominion, and Alabama State.
The most recent commitment at the skill positions is tight end Drew Easter, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound native of North Carolina. Last season, Easter caught 32 passes for 345 yards and five touchdowns. Including FIU, Easter holds 14 total offers, but made his commitment to the Panthers official on June 14 following his official visit.
On the offensive line, FIU has already landed offensive linemen Nathaniel Miller and Adrian Dotson, two more Florida natives.
Miller, who stands at 6-foot-6, 280 pounds, is currently at McArthur. He holds 12 total offers, including Conference USA rival Middle Tennessee State, Jacksonville State, and Western Kentucky. His power conference offers include Auburn, Boston College, Louisville, Maryland, and Virginia Tech.
Dotson, a product of Astronaut High School, stands at 6-foot-4, 290 pounds, and holds 10 total offers. The lone Conference USA team that has offered him outside of FIU is Jacksonville State.
The Panthers then followed this up by landing Tate High School’s Darell Villanueva. A towering presence on the offensive line, Villanueva held an additional offer from Middle Tennessee.
Defense
The biggest defensive commitments thus far are safety Amari Oquendo and cornerback Tacori Allen.
Oquendo, who transferred over to Northwestern for the 2025 season, only played in three games, posting four total tackles (three solo/one assisted). In his sophomore season with Rockledge, Oquendo had 70 tackles, five passes defended, 2.5 sacks, and two fumble recoveries. He will spend the 2026 season at Eau Gallie. Oquendo currently holds 11 total offers, with power conference teams the University of Miami, Pitt, and Iowa State all in the mix. In his recent official visit, Oquendo confirmed that he is “110-percent committed” to the Panthers.
Allen, who is already up to 21 offers (including FIU), will likely go down as their highest-rated defensive recruit once he is awarded a rating on 247Sports. Last season, he posted 35 total tackles (20 solo/15 assisted), three tackles for loss, two interceptions, and three passes defended.
Safeties Martez Jones and Cedric Mitchell Jr. are the two other names that are committed to the Panthers. Jones, who attends Newton High School, posted 74 total tackles (57 solo/17 assisted), four tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions, and four passes defended. Mitchell, who plays at Florida powerhouse Chaminade-Madonna, holds four offers, including FIU’s rival, Florida Atlantic.
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