FIU Football: Pleasant Surprises in 2023

Although the FIU Panthers finished with a 4-8 record in 2023, there were definitely positives to take away. For instance, players who maybe weren't heard of enough throughout last off-season ended up surprising the casual fan. Here were a few of those pleasant surprises from the 2023 squad. After only playing in seven games in 2021 and 2022, cornerback Brian Blades played in 11 games this past season, making his presence was felt. Blades ended the season with 36 total tackles and finished within the top 20 in passes defended in CUSA. The Panthers' now redshirt junior was mainly matched up against an opposing team's top target, or number-two receiver. At the moment, both Blades and Hezekiah Masses are still with the team, so that cornerback duo should be one of the better ones in Conference USA with another full year of experience gained. When defensive lineman Jeramy Passmore went down with a concussion, the Panthers shifted to Steven Shannon, who had played mainly on special teams. He ended the season with