Florida International Panthers 2026 College Football Preview
Posted June 1, 2026
2025 Recap
Record – 7-6
ATS – 8-5
“We’re going streaking!”
<Frank the Tank> <Old School, 2003>
The Panthers started out a shaky 3-5 and things were looking bleak — and then HC Willie Simmons flipped the switch. FIU won their final four games in a row to reach bowl eligibility and finish the regular season at 7-5. They got DESTROYED by UTSA in the bowl game but seven wins is seven wins and this was the Panthers’ first bowl appearance since 2019.
Year one of the Simmons era has to be considered a major step in the right direction. Now let’s see if they can build on it.
Florida International Panthers 2026 Outlook
OFFENSE
2025 By The Numbers (CUSA):
- Scoring: 28.5 PPG (#3 CUSA)
- Total Offense: 397.0 YPG (#5 CUSA)
- Rushing: 181.6 YPG (#4 CUSA)
- Passing: 215.4 YPG (#8 CUSA)
- Sacks Allowed: 24 (#3 CUSA)
The Panthers are moving on from the QB duo of Keyone Jenkins (off to UCF) and Joe Pesansky, who posted a mediocre combined 20–13 TD‑to‑INT mark LY. The new man under center is App State transfer JJ Kohl — a traditional drop‑back passer who looked good earning heavy reps in the spring (62%, 12–2 TD‑to‑INT LY with the Mountaineers). At 6‑7, the dude is a TALL GLASS OF WATER who should give the air attack a credibility it’s been lacking.
The RB situation takes a meaningful hit — losing Kejon Owens (1,300+ yards, 11 TD LY) who’s off to the Vikings stings BIGLY. The cupboard isn’t bare though — holdover Anthony Carrie (469, 5 TD) steps into a larger role and true freshman Sterling Joseph is a name to watch according to our Deep FIU Insiders.
The passing attack has some promise despite losing star WR Alex Perry (840, 9 TD) to Illinois. They return WRs 2 through 4 in production and made a YUUUGE addition in Greg Gaines III from Rhode Island — who absolutely lit it up with the Rams LY (65-1,018, 4 TD, 15.7 YPC). That’s a legitimate #1 option to pair with the returning depth pieces. The TE room is wide open after Dallas Payne moves on — an underrated target LY (27-293, 4 TD) — but someone will emerge.
The OL is a danger zone, yo — they lost all five starters including a pair of all-conference studs. There are holdovers and portal additions providing some depth but this is clearly the biggest concern on the entire offense heading into fall camp. Kohl’s size helps him see over the line but he’s gonna need that unit to gel quickly.
DEFENSE
2025 By The Numbers (CUSA):
- Scoring Defense: 30.0 PPG (#8 CUSA)
- Total Defense: 411.5 YPG (#11 CUSA)
- Rush Defense: 161.6 YPG (#6 CUSA)
- Pass Defense: 249.9 YPG (#10 CUSA)
- Sacks: 31 (#1 CUSA tied with Kennesaw St)
The DL is an area of concern heading into 2026 after losing stud 300‑pound DT Xion Chapman to Minnesota and DE Keegan Davis (5.5 sacks). The good news is that leading sack man DE Kenton Simmons (6 sacks LY) is back to anchor the front, and a few intriguing transfers have been added to the mix. Tying for #1 in CUSA in sacks LY with 31 is a genuine accomplishment — maintaining that production without Chapman and Davis is going to require some new faces to step up fast.
The LB unit is a genuine team strength and one of the better groups in the conference — Josiah Taylor and Percy Courtney Jr. provide a solid and experienced returning duo in the middle of the defense. The secondary is undergoing significant turnover, and that’s a concern — promising young DB Jessiah McGrew (4 INT) has departed for Arizona St, and new faces need to step up alongside safety Shamir Sterlin (#4 tackles, 2 sacks LY). The coaching staff is relying on the portal to shore up the back end, and we’ll need to see how that group comes together during fall camp.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Some encouraging news here — new PK Robert Czeremcha went 2/3 on FGs and 12/12 on XPs LY in limited action and went 3/3 in the spring game. Transfer Stone Springman from YOUR Miami Hurricanes is expected to handle the punting duties. And don’t sleep on PR Maguire Anderson — the dood took a punt back to the HIZZY CRIBBY in their bowl game (9 returns, 149 yards, 1 TD LY). This unit looks like a potential strength.
Schedule Analysis
Overall — Fun fact: all four non‑conference games are in the state of Florida. GEOGRAPHY TRIVIA BOMBS for you FIU fans out there. They open with a tough one at USF but then have three winnable games before conference play begins. They avoid WKU (!) in conference action, which is a massive gift, but have to face Jax St and Liberty on the road — that’s a tough pair of away dates. The home finale vs Sam Houston comes at a handy time as a potential bowl‑clinching opportunity if they need that final win late in the season.
Potential ATS Trouble Spot — vs Buffalo (Sept 12)
The Panthers come off the in‑state rivalry game at USF and have the SHULA BOWL vs FAU up next. Buffalo is a capable team, and this is the kind of spot where a home favorite can lose focus. We won’t be rushing to back the home team here.
Season Win Total
Market consensus – June 1
Over 6.5 +120
Under 6.5 -150
MEGALOCKS says:
No leanage.
That looks about right. Our opening number was 6, ‑110 each way. Our GUN‑to‑the‑HEAD selection is the over, as we believe there’s more upside than downside with this team. No play for now.
Note – Our official list of season win total investments will be posted in the blog section of the website.
MEGAmazing Tidbits
THE MELEE IN MIAMI — the 2006 bench‑clearing brawl between FIU and YOUR Miami Hurricanes — remains one of the wildest moments in college football history. Players and coaches from both sidelines emptied onto the field, over a dozen players were ejected, and the game was shortened by two minutes. KAREN wasn’t impressed, but boys will be boys.
FIU is one of the fastest‑growing universities in the United States with over 58,000 students — making it one of the 20 largest universities in the country by enrollment. Located in Miami, the Panthers have access to one of the richest recruiting pipelines in college football given the concentration of elite high school talent in South Florida. The fact that they’ve struggled to consistently capitalize on that pipeline is one of the great mysteries of Group of Six football.
HC Willie Simmons went 45‑13 at Florida A&M from 2021–2023 and won multiple SWAC championships. Before that he was a three‑year letterman QB at Clemson (2000–2002) and participated in four bowl games. The man can coach, and year two at FIU should be exciting.
MEGALOCKS Forecast:
The FIU program appears genuinely headed in the right direction for the first time in a while. The talent pipeline in South Florida is real, and Simmons knows how to develop players. The QB situation should be improved with Kohl under center, the THROW GAME has genuine upside with Gaines III in the mix, and the LB unit is solid. The concerns are real tho — that OL is a work in progress, and the secondary needs new faces to emerge quickly.
The road conference schedule is challenging, but the home finale vs Sam Houston gives them a safety net. We’ll call for six wins and a second consecutive bowl appearance — and if the OL gels faster than expected, there’s genuine upside here.
Go Panthers!