Pok’s Football Week in Review: Pro Day Testing and Practices in the Park

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The first two weeks were filled with plenty of FIU Football coverage, whether it was quotes from interviews or analysis from the practices. And that is not changing this week; there is still plenty of interesting coverage and quotes to share from the Miami-based football program.

However, this week’s edition is the first to truly capitalize on the goal and promise of this newsletter! I had the chance to travel to Tampa this week to cover the University of South Florida’s Pro Day, which showcased players from the Bulls and the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program. It was a very fun day that showcased some interesting players who could have a place in the remaining portion of the 2025 draft process.

We have a lot to get into from this action-packed week, so follow along for the latest edition of Pok’s Football Week in Review!

The Battles Continue: FIU Keeps Growing with the Spring

Just as I hoped for last week, the latest week of FIU Football practices brought even more competition and battles between the team’s units.

On offense, the scheme continued to grow and showed that it had layers to it. Head coach Willie Simmons has historically run an offense that gives multiple options on a given play. In a 2018 article from the Tallahassee Democrat, Simmons, who was the head coach of FAMU at the time, gave insight into what he wanted his scheme to be.

“I don’t ever put a percentage on run-pass because I don’t know. We call a play, and there are multiple options within that play. The option to run the ball or pass the ball and it’s up to the quarterbacks to make the right decision. One week, it may be 70-30. The next week it might be 30-70. We don’t talk about the percentages. We just want to be efficient and take what the defense is giving us.”

Simmons’s scheme with the Panthers has shown the same tenets he displayed with FAMU. The quarterback, whether it is Keyone Jenkins., Clayton Dees, or someone else, acts as the conductor of the offense. Many plays are RPOs, allowing the defensive coverages and schemes to dictate how the offense reacts. Other plays do not have RPOs attached but rather a motion or shift. This allows the offense to unravel the defense’s play; a shift from a defensive back could reveal a blitz or alert the offense to a specific type of coverage.

What has been apparent is that every play has a purpose for the Panthers. Each run or pass sets the foundation for the drive. Every motion or RPO ties together with other plays on the drive. It creates a very nice flow for the team’s offense, allowing them to move the ball down the field consistently.

And most excitingly, this week’s growth involved under-center work for the offense. In an era of offenses utilizing more spread concepts and defenses adjusting to them, there is room for offensive success by throwing curveballs. Many college offenses are not used to defending concepts from under-center, whether it is the run or pass.

The unique part of this, though, is how the Panthers deployed the under-center plays. They utilized motions, play-action, and regular runs out of this different formation. Essentially, they relied on a concept that NFL play-callers, such as Sean McVay, consistently use. FIU has all of its regular concepts, but now can run them out of different formations. It is a perfect way to disguise play calls and outsmart the opposition. In short, it could make the Panthers a very formidable opponent.

However, this offensive success throughout the week did not mean that the defense fell behind the eight-ball.

The Panthers’ defense kept its same upper-level energy and consistency, flying to the ball and cleaning up plays. The secondary shined during Saturday’s scrimmage; G7 and Antonio Patterson made big tackles consistently, while Victor Evans III had an impressive INT and PBU.

The team’s LBs, headlined by Percy Courtney, made great tackles in space and limited explosive plays. The overall defensive line, whether it was the first, second, or third units, created pressure and did a good job containing the interior rushing attack.

Saturday was the current culmination of how far FIU has come this spring. The offense showed off its great growth and development, while the defense showed that it is not going to miss a step either. As a result, you had a fun day of battles between both units.

The last week of the team’s spring sessions is upon us, which also means the last opportunity for the Panthers to grow before the summer is here. And if previous weeks have shown anything, another fun week will likely be in store.

USF Pro Day Brings the Energy

In between the FIU practices, I attended one of the more intriguing pro days of this year’s draft cycle!

Held at the University of South Florida, the school’s Pro Day had multiple players from the Bulls participating. Additionally, the players from the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program participated in the day’s events, meaning that there were around 30 players at the event.

Scouts from all 32 NFL teams were in attendance, putting plenty of eyes on all of the players going through the fieldwork and testing throughout the day. So, how did the event pan out?

The environment at USF’s Football Pro Day was pretty high-energy all day. In the benching and vertical portions of the testing, the IPP and USF players were feeding off the competitiveness with each other. When Germany’s Leander Wiegand had a great set on the bench, the rest of his peers went wild with excitement. When linebacker Jaime Pettway had a great rep on the vertical jump, his teammates were there to hype him up.

This continued into the field portions of testing and drill work. When a player had a great 40-yard dash, the current players at USF all ran to celebrate with them. The IPP players all kept motivating each other throughout the drill work and testing, and they continued to show excitement when a player had a good drill or number.

It would be too unrealistic to expect a loud environment throughout an entire Pro Day; that would ultimately be distracting from players on what is one of the more important days of their careers. However, USF’s Pro Day was everything you want in one of these events, as it had great energy and did a great job showcasing the players working out throughout the day.

Standout Players

For FIU, we will start on the offensive side of the football. Wideout Kyle McNeal contained to impress during the week and has become a main target for quarterback Keyone Jenkins. He seems to always create space with his routes, whether it is in the middle of the field or separating from a defensive back down the field. Throughout this spring, McNeal has shown the all-around ability to be a main contributor to the Panthers’ offense; I am personally very excited to see his continued growth and development.

Additionally, I was impressed by how Eric Nelson Jr. performed during Saturday’s open practice. In a fashion similar to McNeal, Nelson Jr. had great route running and separation ability throughout the day. Most importantly, he showed some nice deep speed; Nelson Jr. had one of the biggest plays of the entire day, catching a pass from Clayton Dees and racing past the defensive back for a touchdown.

Speaking of Dees, the quarterback continued a very impressive spring session this week. On top of his deep touchdown pass to Nelson Jr., Dees showed nice escapability and movement in the pocket. He had a great feel for what was going on and was decisive in how he operated. Additionally, the quarterback’s impressive speed was evidenced by his touchdown run where he outran multiple defenders on his way to the end zone.

Keyone Jenkins was also impressive with his command of the offense this week. Even if they did not end in touchdowns, the offense was consistently gaining yardage and making plays. Jenkins always had his guys in the right positions and places to execute, and if something broke down, he showed the impressive skill to make things happen on his own. As the commander of the Panthers offense, Jenkins is consistently improving, steadying, and even elevating the unit every week.

At running back, the usual suspects made plays once again this week. Ajay Allen, on top of his impressive vision, cuts, and speed, displayed great pass-protection ability. Devonte Lyons showed good receiving ability and shiftiness in space, as well as a solid downhill running style. He arguably has a claim to the smoothest-moving running back on the entire unit.

But this week, two other players consistently stood out: KJ Owens and Jordan Clemons.

Owens arguably had the best day of any offensive player on Saturday. He showed power, shiftiness, and even some breakaway speed. The running back was decisive with every touch he received; Owens saw a hole, stuck his foot in the ground, and immediately got up field. Combined with some great work from the Panthers’ offensive line, Owens helped keep the sticks moving for the offense.

As for Clemons, the running back played very similarly to Owens on Saturday. He attacked the holes, kept his shoulder down, and consistently picked up yardage. Clemons even displayed nice quick twitch ability to make some defenders miss, especially when he got into space. Earlier in the week, Clemons displayed route running ability and solid hands, as can be seen in his one-on-one rep below.

On defense, G7 continued his great spring in the secondary. I was specifically impressed by his tackling ability, the defensive back consistently flew downhill to make plays and eliminate any possibility for extra yardage. With his overall play, the Arizona transfer is setting himself up to be a key contributor to the Panthers’ 2025 defense.

Percy Courtney and Dwight Nunoo had great weeks once again at the linebacker position. Courtney had an impressive tackle in space during Saturday’s practice and consistently made plays. Nunoo had one of the better defensive plays of the day, forcing a great pass from Jenkins to Lyons to be incomplete.

DBs Antonio Patterson and Victor Evans III were also standouts for me. Patterson was arguably the best tackler on the entire defense, snuffing out any opportunities for YAC and displaying sticky coverage skills. Evans III provided the flashy plays, making a leaping PBU and a leaping interception.

As for USF and its Pro Day, LB Jaime Pettway was one of the best overall performers. He posted 23 reps on the bench press, a 9’7 broad jump, and a very impressive 36-inch vertical jump. On the field, Pettway was smooth and controlled in his movements while also displaying the explosiveness and twitch necessary to play linebacker at a high level.

Other testing standouts for the Bulls included running back Nay’Quan Wright, who posted an impressive 21 reps on the bench press and a blazing 4.38 in the 40-yard dash. Not to be outdone by his teammate, wideout Michael Brown-Stephens jumped out of the gym(or fieldhouse) with a 36.5-inch vertical and 10’6 broad jump.

On the field, USF’s defensive standout was Jason Vaughn. The edge rusher was simply phenomenal during the drill work portions of the Bulls’ Pro Day. He had impeccable footwork, good speed, and high-level change of direction. Once it came to pass-rushing drills, Vaughn showed good skill with hand placement and very nice power to pop the bags with.

Offensively, wideout Sean Atkins was my main standout for the Bulls. He displayed a high level of feel and skill in route-running during his fieldwork; there were no false moves, and every move he took was intentional. He also showed off nice hands, body control, and speed during their drill work.

Additionally, I was a big fan of how RJ Perry Jr. moved and performed in the drills. It is one thing for an offensive lineman to show power and no footwork, but Perry is not that. While not the best straight-line mover, he was the best lateral mover out of the three players in his group. Perry showed powerful hands, good mirroring ability, and even flashed some speed once he got downhill.

https://twitter.com/BPok24/status/1904956594426699886

As for the International Player Pathway participants, there were a few notable standouts.

EDGE Mapalo “Maz” Mwansa, who hails from the United Kingdom and Zambia, had one of the best overall testing performances of the day. He posted 25 reps on the bench, a 38.5-inch vertical, and a 10’5 broad jump. During on-field drills, Mwansa showed nice speed, power, and efficient movements. Between his testing numbers, which showed elite explosiveness and athleticism, and his on-field work, the edge rusher proved that he could be unlocked by the right organization.

Outside of Mwansa, Germany’s Leander Wiegand posted a ridiculous 38 reps on the bench press. He notched an 8’10 broad jump and a 32-inch vertical jump, an impressive number for his size and position. During the on-field portion of the workout, Wiegand showed some solid movement skills and footwork, keeping up with the other two players in his group. The German also made some noise with his power, and not just metaphorically. The lineman’s hands created a very loud pop whenever he hit the bag, showing that his bench press translates to on-field work.

TJ Maguranyanga of Zimbabwe posted 26 reps on the bench press and looked very impressive during the drill work. Just like Mwansa, Maguranyanga showed nice speed and fluidity moving through pass-rushing drills. Paschal Ekeji Jr. should also be thrown into this category as well for his performance during the drill work.

At defensive back, France’s Maceo Beard jumped out immediately as one of the more natural movers on the entire field. Beard had a level of precision with his movements that made up for any athletic shortcomings. He was lightning-quick in and out of his breaks, showed great ball skills, and was fluid in everything that he did.

At wideout, Aaron Sexton from Ireland stood out in an impressive fashion. He had impressive route-running, was quick in and out of his breaks, showed solid hands, and even displayed nice deep speed. For a relatively unknown player, Sexton was extremely polished and smooth in every possible way at his position.

 

Quotes of the Week

FIU LB Percy Courtney on his usage in the team’s new defensive scheme: “I feel like I fit well with this scheme. They use me to blitz off the edge, they use me to cover in space, they use me to drop inside the hooks and hashes. I feel like I m fitting very well with this scheme.”

FIU QB Keyone Jenkins on the progress with the playbook throughout the spring: “The progress has been pretty great. So the days we do not practice, we do weight room and walkthroughs for the installs we are going to do the next day. Later on, I come back and go over the offense with coach Nick Coleman. We get a good understanding of what is what and all of my reads, stuff like that. I am catching onto the installs pretty well. Everything is just flowing.”

USF WR Sean Atkins on his route-running: It goes back to understanding your weaknesses. I feel like I have a good understanding of that. I understand that I need to do different things to separate and set myself up for success. I love route running. I feel like it’s being creative and understanding where your leverage is and what spots are open. It’s having the awareness to sit down,  understand what coverage they are playing, and go out to execute. My favorite thing is brainstorming; I just put an idea in my head and do it on the field. ”

FIU WR Semaj Demps on FIU’s offensive scheme: “The scheme is pretty good. It fits me really well with all of the motions and shifts. All of the guys really like the scheme; we like to move the ball, get first downs, keep the ball rolling. More first downs equals more touchdowns.”

FIU DL Dante Anderson on how he feels about his team and what he has been able to showcase this spring: “I’m feeling good with my teammates, just learning the new scheme. I just transferred here, so I am learning the scheme technique-wise. But I feel good about the team. We are going to be good this year…I have been able to show off my pass rush. I have been able to play the run a little bit and improve my game in that area.”

The Week Ahead: What I am Watching

We got another fun week of football watching ahead! Here is what I am watching:

  • FIU Spring Practice: How does the team improve heading into the spring game? What new wrinkles does the offense implement? How does the defensive scheme add tweaks and wrinkles to combat the offense in the spring game? Most importantly, who shines in the spring game itself?
  • NFL IPP Pro Day: Oh yes, we got another pro day. I will be covering the NFL’s IPP Pro Day at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida! I am very interested to see how the players improve on their times and how they look in a familiar environment. As for players to watch, here are three I will be monitoring specifically:
    • Maceo Beard, DB, France
    • Mapalo “Maz” Mwansa, EDGE/LB, United Kingdom / Zambia
    • Nathaniel Salmon, TE, New Zealand

Thank you for reading along, and I will catch you all next week!

Graduated Summa Cum Laude from Fairleigh Dickinson University in May 2023 with a Communications Degree, a concentration in Multimedia Journalism, and a minor in Broadcasting. Received an M.A. in Communication from Fairleigh Dickinson University in May 2024. Wrote for Jets Insider for two years, previously hosted a Knicks podcast for Let's Talk Knicks, and contributed to Inside the Iggles. Currently a writer for Jets X-Factor. Avid movie watcher, gym goer, music listener, and MMA fan.

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