Fourth and One

To build a winning football team, Coach Mario Cristobal focuses on discipline, accountability and mental toughness

By Julian Kasdin ’07

Jonathan Cyprien’s alarm went off at 5:30 a.m. on a June morning, and within minutes he was headed to the first of a summer of voluntary workouts in preparation for the 2010 football season. As the sun came up, Cyprien and his teammates were running the football field hard. Eighteen 110-yard sprints in 14 seconds or less. No stopping. Just a little warmup for two hours of strength and conditioning.

The early wakeups and tough conditioning reflect the high standards Coach Mario Cristobal and the football players have set for themselves. This summer, Cyprien and his teammates traded sleeping in and staying up late for the boot camp of a winning football team.

“It is helping us to be champions,” said Cyprien, a sophomore defensive back. “I give all I’ve got. I want our program to be the best.”

With new training facilities, new coaches, and new players, FIU is quickly developing a true football culture, and this is the year that it will start to show. FIU football has become a program that attracts ESPNU 150 and U.S. Army All-American prospects. As Cristobal begins his fourth year at FIU, it’s clear he’s been focused on not only recruiting, but on building leadership, accountability and discipline among his players.

“Every day is fourth and one. We are going to create a mentality of toughness, of being accountable in the classroom and relentless on the field,” says Cristobal. “We are constantly preparing. We are setting our own footprints.”

Forging New Strategy

Leadership in football comes from two sources – the coaches, and working alongside them, senior players who take an active role in shaping the team. This year Cristobal is getting plenty of help from both.

The first-year offensive and defensive coordinators, Scott Satterfield and Geoff Collins, have already made an impact. Collins comes from UCF where he helped UCF’s defense rank No. 1 in C-USA in total defense, rush defense, TFLs and sacks in 2009. He also served as the Knight’s recruiting coordinator where his 2009 signing class ranked No. 1 in C-USA by Scout.com and No. 1 for non-BCS schools.

At FIU, Collins is creating a more aggressive defense. The addition of players like Jerrico Lee and Isame Faciane will go a long way toward improving the defensive front four, and make players like sophomore linebacker Winston Fraser more effective.

Satterfield spent 14 years at Appalachian State where he had a top five offense for five consecutive years. During his tenure, he mentored FCS Player of the Year Armanti Edwards and played an integral role in the upset of then-ranked No. 5 University of Michigan.

Satterfield joins the FIU staff after spending last season as the quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator for the University of Toledo Rockets. He inherited an offense that in 2008 finished 85th nationally in both pass offense and total offense. Under his guidance, the 2009 Rockets ranked 19th in pass offense and 13th in total offense. This drastic offensive improvement marked one of the largest statistical turnarounds in recent college football history.

At FIU, Satterfield is revamping the offense. Highly touted junior college offensive lineman Caylin Hauptmann, who was pursued by multiple Pac-10 programs, including UCLA and California, along with seniors Cedric Mack and Brad Serini form a trio of physically mature and experienced offensive linemen that can serve as an anchor for FIU’s new offense.

“The offense is more explosive now,” said Serini.

Building Leaders

On both sides of the ball, players feel something different, and it has thrust leaders like Serini and senior corner back Anthony Gaitor into the spotlight. The team’s locker room leaders, said Cristobal, have stepped up to mentor the newest members of FIU’s football family. And after three years, the seniors are hungry to make 2010 the year FIU Football breaks through.

“We are highly motivated,” Gaitor said. “We know we have a talented team and we work every day to outwork our opponents. Get ready for a show.”

Having strong leaders has made a difference for FIU on the recruiting front. It began with Gaitor, who “put his foot in the ground and said I’m coming to FIU,” says Cristobal. The Panthers have now witnessed the signing of U.S. Army All-American Larvez “Pooh Bear” Mars, and an ESPNU 150 player in Willis Wright.

T.Y. Hilton was instrumental in convincing Wright, his former teammate, to play at FIU instead of Nebraska, West Virginia or Miami. Wright told ESPN he had great visits to the other schools, but “FIU was especially great.” The ESNPU No. 19 wide receiver in the nation added, “I just want to be a part of something that’s in the process of being built rather than something that has already been built.”

“It is going to be great knowing the things he is bringing to the table,” Hilton said. “It is going to be amazing being back on the same team.”

Training to Win

Recruiting and shaping top-notch athletes requires the right kind of training facilities and conditioning program. FIU now has both. With the completion of its 14,000-square-foot strength and conditioning center, FIU for the first time in Cristobal’s tenure has a weight room to train in this offseason. FIU’s training facilities can now compete with Florida State, Miami, USF and UCF.

“You can now train an entire athletic program and develop that functional strength and explosiveness you need as a football player,” Cristobal said. “A particular defensive lineman can get another 200 reps a week on any developmental exercise that can help him become a better player. These reps really add up and make a significant difference.”

Strength and Conditioning Coach Roderick Moore, “is pushing guys to the limit,” said Hilton. “We are getting bigger, stronger and faster.” For instance, sophomore defensive end Tourek Williams came in at 228 pounds immediately jumped to 248 and expects to start the season at 260.

“Coach Moore does a real good job of pushing you,” Williams said. “He just works you to your max potential. “

The team has more guys squatting in the 500-pound range, benching more than 300 and 400 pounds, power cleaning 300 or more pounds, and an ever increasing number with coveted low 40 running times. As a result, the Panthers have seen tremendous improvements during the offseason.

For the up and coming players like Cyprien, this year provides another opportunity to capture the Sun Belt crown and go to a bowl game. That’s why Cyprien sees those wake-up calls as a challenge to “push myself to do my best.” For them, this is the year.