New football signing class bolstered by strong local talent


By Joel Delgado ’12 MS ’17 

When FIU Football Head Coach Ron Turner first arrived at FIU two years ago, he had just weeks to scramble and finalize a recruiting class for the Panthers.

He was still putting his coaching staff together and didn’t have much of a repertoire with local high school coaches – not to mention he hadn’t coached a single game as FIU’s head coach.

Things are much different now.

Turner and his staff have been aggressively recruiting all over Florida – building relationships with coaches all over the state and running football camps from Miami to Jacksonville – and their efforts have paid off for this year’s National Signing Day on Feb. 4.

The Panthers 2015 signing class includes 22 student-athletes who will suit up this fall at FIU Stadium, and Turner expressed excitement for what this class could do for the program not just in the long-term, but in the immediate future as well.

“We know the high school coaches better and we’ve been in the area a couple years and they see what we’re doing,” Turner said. “High school coaches all over the state are all saying ‘we love what you’re doing, love the way you guys play and we see you’re building something down there.’ That helped us get a lot of these guys.”

FIU Head Coach Ron Turner (at podium) introduces four signees from the 2015 class: (from far left) DB Tyree Johnson, WR/RB Anthony Jones, DE Fermin Silva and QB Christian Alexander.

FIU Head Coach Ron Turner (at podium) introduces four signees from the 2015 class at the National Signing Day event in the Stadium Club: (from far left) DB Tyree Johnson, WR/RB Anthony Jones, DE Fermin Silva and QB Christian Alexander.

CLOSE TO HOME

This year’s recruiting class boasts a strong assortment of talent from local high schools, with nine signees coming from top programs in Miami-Dade County. Nearly the entire class (21 of the 22 signees) is from Florida.

A trio of athletes from Miami Central Senior High’s Class 6A state championship team – wide receiver/running back Anthony Jones, defensive lineman Fermin Silva and defensive back Olin Cushion III – decided to stay in the 305 area code and play at FIU.

Booker T. Washington quarterback Maurice Alexander, who helped lead the Tornadoes to a perfect 15-0 record and a Class 4A state title in 2014, also signed on to become a Panther.

Columbus High wide receiver Austin Maloney and Monsignor Pace linebacker Sage Lewis, who flipped his commitment from Conference USA rival Marshall to FIU in the days leading up to Signing Day, could also make immediate contributions on the field in their freshman seasons.

“It all begins here,” Turner said of the program’s emphasis on recruiting in South Florida. “That’s always going to be the key for us.”

IMMEDIATE IMPACT

In addition to Maurice Alexander, there will be another quarterback with a last name Alexander who will be competing for the position. Highly renowned Lakeland Christian quarterback Christian Alexander, who finished his high school career fifth all-time in Florida with 110 touchdown passes, signed with the Panthers and is already enrolled.

Between the two Alexanders and sophomore quarterback Alex McGough, there could be a highly-contested quarterback competition to determine who will be taking the snaps for the Panthers when they take on Central Florida in the season opener on Sept. 5.

Jones in particular could become a household name for FIU fans and make an immediate impact for the Panthers this fall. In his senior season, Jones caught 32 passes for 419 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 1,007 yards with an additional seven touchdowns.

“He’s a tremendous player,” Turner said of Jones. “You watch the film and he just makes play after play after play.”

According to Turner, this year’s recruiting class accomplishes two objectives: adding depth in a number of key positions on both offense and defense and brining in a number of players who could come in and make an immediate impact on the field.

‘THEY BELIEVE IN WHAT WE’RE DOING’

Jones and Silva are two of four student-athletes from this year’s class who signed with FIU prior to Signing Day; they’re enrolled in Spring 2015 courses and will be participating in spring practices and the annual Spring Game, scheduled for Apr. 17 at FIU Stadium.

Both were at the Signing Day event held that evening in the Stadium Club with their families and expressed their desire to leave a legacy at FIU as members of the recruiting class that lifts the program to prominence.

“We want to do something FIU has never done,” Jones said. “We want to turn this program around and make FIU a place everyone wants to come to.”

Silva added, “The team took us in and we feel like one of them already. I hope we are remembered as the class that turns this program around and win a couple championships and bowl games.”

Heading into his third season as the program’s head coach, Turner is excited to have players who want to be at FIU and are committed to turning the program into a force to be reckoned with in Conference USA.

“Our guys believe and our recruits who are coming in believe in what we’re doing and where we’re going,” Turner said. “There’s nothing better than that.”

For more information on FIU’s 2015 signing class, go to FIUSports.com.

FIU Football 2015 Signing Class

Christian Alexander – QB · Lakeland, Fla. · Lakeland Christian

Maurice Alexander – QB · Homestead, Fla. · Booker T. Washington HS

Kenyatta Anderson – DB · St. Petersburg, Fla. · Boca Ciega HS

Terry Bennett – RB · Jacksonville, Fla. · Atlantic Coast HS

Andrew Burgess – OT · Neptune Beach, Fla. · Duncan U. Fletcher HS

Mac Carey – TE · Tallahassee, Fla. · Leon HS

Olin Cushion III – CB · Miami, Fla. · Miami Central HS

Deion Eakins – OG · Jacksonville, Fla. · Trinity Christian Academy

Jestin Green – CB · St. Petersburg, Fla. · Admiral Farragut Academy

R.J. Harris – DL · Tallahassee, Fla. · North Florida Christian

Mark Hutchinson – WR · Zephyrhills, Fla. · Wiregrass Ranch HS

Tyree Johnson – DB · Miami Gardens, Fla. · Miami Carol City

Anthony Jones – WR · Miami, Fla. · Miami Central

Milord Juste – DE/LB · Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. · Palm Beach Gardens HS

Sage Lewis – LB · Opa-Locka, Fla. · Monsignor Pace HS

Emmanuel Lubin – CB · Miami, Fla. · North Miami Beach HS

Austin Maloney – WR · Miami, Fla. · Christopher Columbus HS

Neal Mars – OG/C · Orange Park, Fla. · Fleming Island HS

Irick McDonald – DE · Hialeah, Fla · Champagnat Catholic – Hialeah

Collin Olsen – RB · Port Orange, Fla. · Spruce Creek HS

Fermin Silva – DL · Miami, Fla. · Miami Central

Julian Williams – WR · Suwanee, Ga. · Georgia Military College/Collins Hill HS