Offensive lineman graduates this week, plays in bowl next week

Julius Pierce has come into his own. The then-redshirt debuted with the Panthers in 2019, the year FIU last played in the college football post-season. In 2021, he appeared in 10 games and made eight starts before eventually transferring to Middle Tennessee State. With the arrival of Coach Willie Simmons at FIU, the offensive lineman then decided to give FIU another shot.

In a full circle moment, Pierce this week collected a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice (he previously earned a first undergraduate degree in integrated studies from MTSU) and next week will get a chance to flash his prowess on the field as an amateur one last time. On Dec. 26, he joins the team for the SERVPRO First Responders Bowl in Dallas.

“I’ve kind of had an unorthodox career,” admits Pierce, who suffered a season-ending leg injury in 2024. Now an elder statesman on the team, he has enjoyed success on the gridiron – starting in every game this season and earning Conference-USA Player of the Week honors – while also taking on a leadership role.

“That’s been awesome because I kind of liked having that weight on my shoulders,” he says. “ I like the responsibility of being the guy that people look up to and setting the example for other people.”

To the uninitiated, his position as center appears to be “the fat dude who snaps the ball,” he says. But in reality, he continues, a lot goes into the role.

Often considered the “brains” of the offensive line, the center has hands on the football on every play, must read defenses, make split-second decisions and communicate adjustments to guards and tackles. The “thinking man’s” job also brings with it physical demands.

“I've been able to mentor the future of the program,” Pierce says of what the past season had meant to him. Having younger guys ask him questions to fine-tune their own game has been satisfying, he says.

And playing under Simmons has been positive all around, he adds. “He’s everything that I thought he'd be. I think that's why we're winning a lot, because our team is really close.”

Pierce is referring to the constructive culture that Simmons has established in the locker room and beyond, which has brought the players together.

“He remind us, there's never not a time to do the right thing, and the right thing can be as little as taking the right step on a play or . . . just showing a little bit of respect to somebody. Those are the kinds of things that Coach Simmons teaches us that help us win games, which is important, but also help us be successful in life and improve us as men.”

On the cusp of a new chapter, Pierce is putting his energy into “training and trying my hand at the next level” by looking for a shot in the National Football League or the United Football League. If neither should work out, his backup plan is to pursue becoming a firefighter, a profession that builds upon his interest in community service, he explains. In the past, Pierce has worked with youngsters at the Boys and Girls Club and helped out at local elementary school field days.

But first, he has one more game as a Panther ahead of him, something he doesn’t take lightly.

“It's a reward, you know, for 12 weeks of hard work that you put in,” he says. “A lot of guys around the country, they had to turn their pads in, and I'm blessed to be able to at least get one more opportunity with my brothers.”

Julius, the pride of Panther Nation goes with you and will be cheering your every move.