FIU football players Harold Leath (left) and Nick Turnbull (right) show off the new FIU football uniforms with Head Coach Don Strock during the second signing press conference. The uniforms, designed and produced by Nike, feature white jerseys for away games and blue jerseys for home games.

Football announces second recruiting class

Florida International University football Head Coach Don Strock announced that 21 high school athletes had accepted grant-in-aid to attend the university this fall. The second year of recruiting will get the program ready for the fall.

“The players are sick of tackling each other,” said Strock. “We are ready for the year to start and excited about the incoming players.”

The recruits come from all over the state of Florida, including highly touted quarterback Jaime Burke from Cardinal Mooney in Sarasota. Burke has accumulated numerous awards, but his statistics speak for themselves. He is the only player to throw for more than 500 yards in a game in Florida, and led the state in touchdown passes with 34.

“I am getting choked up with this one,” said a jubilant Strock. “I would like to thank Steve Spurrier for taking the job with the Washington Redskins. Burke was a little undecided and when Steve left, he went with his gut feeling and came down to FIU. He is a great addition to our program.”

The first name Strock mentioned was defensive back Gentry Jackson, out of Spruce Creek High in Port Orange, Florida. Jackson participated in the Funcoast Football Classic and was named first-team all state as a utility back. “Gentry is a great athlete who played quarterback and many other positions in high school. We will use him defensively.”

Strock’s main emphasis was on the offensive line, where he signed eight of the
21 players. One who stands out is Patrick Mullen, at 6’-8” and 320 pounds, from Dwyer High School in Palm Beach. Mullen is another first-team all state and runs a 5.2 second 40-yard dash.

“We went heavy on the offensive line and got a couple of surprises at the end. They will be raw, but bigger. You can’t go into the season with six or seven linemen and expect five to start. We need ten who can step up and play.”

The team needs the new players to compete for starting positions immediately, which is something the coaching staff took into account this recruiting season.

“Our coaches talked to the high school coaches to make sure these players would be able to step up to the next level right away,” said Strock. “We expect them to compete.”